WEST PALM BEACH  -- The South Florida Water Management District will hold a special meeting on Thursday, April 22 to discuss the Everglades Agricultural Area partnership agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The public can attend the meeting online.  Click here to register.

The agenda states: "By executing Executive Order 19-12, Achieving More Now For Florida’s Environment, Governor DeSantis ensured that key water quality and Everglades restoration projects would be accelerated. The Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Phase is the cornerstone of this Executive Order. It will reduce undesirable discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries by sending flows south to the Central Everglades where they are needed.

"To advance the project, the District seeks to enter into a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the U.S. Department of the Army for the CEPP EAA Phase, which includes the critical EAA Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area components. The PPA, coupled with the CERP Master Agreement, specifies the terms and conditions for implementing this project, including construction, operations, maintenance, repair, replacement, and rehabilitation responsibilities (OMRR&R) and cost-share.

"A PPA, as offered by the USACE, was presented to the Governing Board at its April 8 monthly meeting at which time the Governing Board expressed concerns regarding the clarity of the terms and directed staff to expeditiously negotiate clearer language to ensure the project advances and sends clean water to the Everglades. The revised PPA is included in the meeting packet for this agenda item."