What are STAs and FEBs? They are crucial for Everglades restoration
Many terms used in discussions of Everglades restoration may be unfamiliar to most people. The following list contains definitions of some of the more common terms used.
South Florida Water Management District: The state agency that oversees water and environmental resources in a 16-county region from Orlando to the Keys. It is the largest of five water management districts in Florida.
Lake Okeechobee: The eighth largest natural freshwater lake in the United States with an area of 730 square miles. It is ringed by the Herbert Hoover Dike but once naturally overflowed to send water south through the Everglades.
Reservoir: A deep manmade water storage area that holds water from Lake Okeechobee or natural runoff from rainfall that would normally be discharged through canals to the ocean. Reservoirs are located on unique geologic features within South Florida that allow for only a slow rate of groundwater seepage.
Flow Equalization Basin, or FEB: A shallow man-made water storage area constructed for the collection of runoff that can be stored temporarily before being moved to a stormwater treatment area.
Stormwater Treatment Area, or STA: A man-made marsh with plants that filter nutrients out of water before it can go into the Everglades.
Everglades: A unique subtropical wetland ecosystem that once covered about 3 million acres of South Florida. Water once flowed down the Kissimmee River into Lake Okeechobee then south to Florida Bay. Canals dug to drain the land for development and farming cut off that natural flow of water and the Everglades is now half of its historic size. Projects are underway to mimic the natural flow of water from Lake Okeechobee that created the river of grass and is necessary to restore and maintain the ecosystem.
###
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Everglades restoration includes stormwater treatment area
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hurricane season 2025: Safety tips for navigating around your neighborhood after storm
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30 with the peak of the season on Sept. 10. The most activity happens between mid-August and mid-October, according to the National Hurricane Center. The key to getting through storm season is being prepared. Here are some important tips on staying safe after the storm. 🌀 2025 Hurricane Season Guide: Storm preparedness tips, supply list, evacuation zones DON'T TOUCH POWER LINES. Watch for downed lines. Consider every power line energized. Call 911 or FPL at (800) 4-OUTAGE to report fallen power lines that present a clear danger to you or others. Do not attempt to touch any electrical power lines and keep your family away from them. Watch your step. The area could be covered with broken glass and other debris. Don't walk in standing water and don't venture out in the dark because you might not see a power line that could be energized and dangerous. Watch for insects, snakes and other animals — including alligators — driven out by high water. If your neighborhood floods during the storm, listen to the radio for instructions. Watch and listen for reports of storm-spawned tornadoes. Be careful about letting your pet outdoors. Landmarks and scents might be gone, and your pet might get lost. Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers weather, real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@ Help support our local journalism; subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hurricane season 2025 prep: Keeping safe after storm hits
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Hurricane season 2025: Know your evacuation zone and when it's time to evacuate
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30 with the peak of the season on Sept. 10. The most activity happens between mid-August and mid-October, according to the National Hurricane Center. An overheated Atlantic Ocean and a rising La Niña have forecasters predicting a highly active hurricane season, one that could rival one of the busiest years on record. The key to getting through storm season is being prepared. That's why The Palm Beach Post has compiled tips, lists, contact numbers, graphics and maps that should help you prepare for a storm, and, if need be, get through it fine. 🌀 2025 Hurricane Season Guide: Storm preparedness tips, supply list, evacuation zones If a major storm threatens, it could take days to evacuate some areas, especially if the storm is forecast to run parallel along the east or west coast of the Peninsula, hitting several major cities. That means perhaps millions of evacuees could flood highways, causing major backups throughout the state. Authorities work closely with the National Hurricane Center when deciding evacuations, but some storms are hard to forecast. Four days before landfall, Hurricane Andrew was an ill-defined, weak storm far out at sea. Emergency managers don't want motorists stalled in bumper-to-bumper traffic as the hurricane comes ashore. You should not stay home if you live in an evacuation area. Should I go to a hurricane shelter? What to know to make your decision To hone in on a specific area of the county to see what evacuation zone you are in, go here. Palm Beach County has an evacuation zone look-up tool. Here's how to access it. Palm Beach County is asking people who need the special needs shelter to fill out an online application: Make sure your home is as reinforced as possible. Consider the house's condition and whether your family is healthy enough. Make arrangements far in advance. Check again as the storm approaches to make sure your hosts aren't on vacation or renovating. Take some things that you'd take to an emergency shelter. No place in Florida is safe from a storm. It could envelop much of the state or march up the coast and turn toward your destination. In 1995, Erin threatened Miami, and thousands fled to Orlando, where Erin struck. Decide your destination and get a hotel room before you go. Rooms fill quickly. Flying may not be an option. Airports will close well in advance of the storm. Trains will fill quickly and will stop running once conditions deteriorate. Check your car. Fill tank, check tires, fluids and brakes. Get a current map of backup routes. Leave early. If roads are already jammed, go back home or to a shelter. If the storm is 24 hours from landfall or closer, it's too late to try to leave town. Tell someone where you are going. Leave a phone number. Florida's Turnpike: Monitor for the latest details. More evacuation route information: Call 850-414-4100 Call 511: The Florida Department of Transportation offers its free 511 service for travel information and roadway conditions, including road and bridge closures, toll suspensions and major evacuation routes. For more, go to This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: When to evacuate: 2025 hurricane evacuation zones in Palm Beach County
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Yahoo
The other season — hurricane — has arrived; being prepared is key
It's June 1, which means it's that time of year again. If you've lived in Florida for any length of time, no explanation is needed. If you're a recent arrival, it marks the beginning of the six-month Atlantic hurricane season that runs through Nov. 30. That means it's time to stock up on supplies such as water, shelf-stable foods and batteries; to make sure the generator is ready to go in the event of a power failure; and to finalize evacuation plans for your family, including any pets, if the town is in the path of a storm. It's also good to store important papers in waterproof and even fireproof containers. NOAA's prediction of 13 to 19 named storms, including six to 10 hurricanes — and three to five major hurricanes — follows others this spring that have measured the Atlantic basin's stew of ingredients and influential climate patterns to determine that the six-month season will be more active than average. More: With a busy hurricane season expected, Palm Beach encourages residents to prepare early Of note, according to reporting by Kimberly Miller of The Palm Beach Post, is a forecasting challenge this year. The atmosphere is idling in a climate purgatory between El Niño, characterized by abnormally warm water in the Equatorial Pacific, and La Niña, cooler than average water in that area. The former typically points to a less-active season, while the latter can mean a more-active season. Although the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has had major staff cuts under President Donald Trump's plan to trim the federal government, an official at the agency said the National Hurricane Center is fully staffed, Ms. Miller reported. That's not the case for many of the nation's 120 local weather-forecasting offices where employees were let go, balloon launches have been reduced and vacancies are unfilled, Ms. Miller noted. While Palm Beach County has been mostly spared from major hurricanes since the mean season of 2004, we have seen some storms skate by that cause destruction elsewhere. And even when that's been the case, the effects here were not always minor. Take last year, when tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton left a swath of destruction from Wellington north to Jupiter. Thankfully, no lives were lost, but the memory of those tornadoes serves as a reminder that one never knows what will happen during hurricane season. Milton, a Category 5 storm, made landfall in Siesta Key off Sarasota and went on to cause major damage across Central Florida. Palm Beach lies in Evacuation Zone B, which includes most of the county's barrier islands east of the Intracoastal Waterway. It and Zone A, which includes mobile homes and low-lying areas, are typically the first neighborhoods to be evacuated when a major storm approaches. Condominium residents need to remember that a state law allows associations to shut off power, elevators, water and sewer once an evacuation order has been issued. Residents cannot be forced to leave their homes, but who would want to stay without those services? Residents who chose to remain in their condos for the storm do so at their own risk because fire-rescue and police might not respond if conditions have deteriorated. Some condo residents who chose to stay during Hurricane Dorian in 2019 felt the inconvenience of remaining in their homes under those circumstances. One important thing that residents and workers on the island should remember is that they need to be on an official re-entry list, because police usually restrict access to the island during and after a storm. Applicants must have a government-issued I.D. to be placed on the re-entry list, which expires Dec. 31, 2026. To complete an application, visit the town's website. We also encourage residents who haven't already done so to sign up for town alerts while they're on the website. We love living in the Sunshine State, but a cost of that joy is navigating hurricane season. The experts will make their best guesses, and the science has helped to improve the accuracy of their predictions, but the key thing to bear in mind is preparedness. Storms can change directions quickly — or intensify rapidly. Everyone must have a hurricane plan and keep an eye on the weather forecast once a storm is on the horizon. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Preparedness is critical now that hurricane season is here | Editorial
