Washington dollars flowing to Glades

Say what you will about the federal stimulus plan, but thanks to it Washington finally is keeping its pledge to share the costs of the Everglades restoration project.

Washington and Florida officials agreed in 2000 to partner in the effort to restore the Everglades, where natural water flow had been altered by numerous drainage and flood-control projects.

Reviving, as best as possible, the Everglades' natural flow would not only save the River of Grass but also ensure an adequate supply of drinking water to South Florida municipalities, stop the dumping of polluted water on both the East and West coasts and improve water quality from Florida Bay to the Keys.

Since federal agencies had spearheaded many of the projects that had damaged the Everglades, its participation in the 20-year restoration venture was appropriate.

But while the state began funding work to reroute and clean up water, Washington contributed little. Work fell behind schedule.

A report last year by the National Academy of Sciences found the slow progress was increasing the project's costs, which had grown from an estimated $8 billion to $22 billion. And the study concluded if work was not done faster, the Everglades could deteriorate beyond repair.

But now the federal dollars are beginning to flow to the Everglades' rescue.

President Obama committed $360 million to restoration work this fiscal year. He is pushing to allocate another $278 million next year.

Recently, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar took a tour of the Everglades and pledged the administration's support.

Salazar, a former Colorado senator, acknowledged the federal government had "not kept its end of the bargain." But he vowed, "'We are committed to it. We will get it done."

The federal money will be used, among other things, to repair Lake Okeechobee's dike and to restore wetlands.

The much-needed federal commitment comes as the South Florida Water Management District completes an agreement to purchase 73,000 acres of U.S. Sugar Corp. land. (The district also has an option to buy another 100,000 acres.)

The acquisition will ensure the state has enough land to build large filtering reservoirs needed to cleanse agricultural runoff that flows into the Everglades.

All this construction work will bolster South Florida's economy while also preserving a natural system that stretches from Central Florida to the Florida Keys and sustains a critical tourism industry.

In this case, at least, we know that federal stimulus dollars are going to a worthy, shovel-ready project, one that will create job opportunities while protecting the hydrological heart of South Florida.