Florida's Attempts to Drain the Everglades

By Joe Marzo

The Everglades, once a vast, interconnected "River of Grass," was one of the most unique and diverse wetlands on the planet. This sprawling ecosystem stretched over 4,000 square miles of South Florida, flowing slowly from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay. It sustained countless plant and animal species, indigenous communities, and acted as a vital water filtration system. Over the last 150 years, however, human efforts to drain, develop, and repurpose the Everglades have drastically altered its landscape. What was once a dynamic natural system is now a fragmented, struggling ecosystem, forever transformed by the vision of individuals like Hamilton Disston.

The Natural Everglades: A River of Grass

Before human intervention, the Everglades functioned as a slow-moving sheet of water flowing southward from Lake Okeechobee, fed by seasonal rains. The hydrological system sustained a vast ecosystem:

• Water Filtration: Vegetation naturally removed excess nutrients and pollutants from the water.

• Flood Control: The wetlands absorbed and stored excess rainwater, protecting the region from floods.

• Biodiversity: The Everglades supported over 350 bird species, 40 mammal species, and numerous reptiles, including iconic species like the American alligator and Florida panther.

This equilibrium thrived for millennia until human development efforts began in the 19th century.

Hamilton Disston: The Pioneer of Everglades Drainage

The modern transformation of the Everglades began with Hamilton Disston, a Philadelphia industrialist whose vision to reclaim Florida's wetlands was both audacious and catastrophic. In 1881, Disston made the largest land purchase in U.S. history, acquiring 4 million acres of Florida swampland for $1 million. His goal was to drain these wetlands to make way for agriculture and settlement.

Disston’s Canal Network

Disston funded and oversaw the construction of canals designed to lower water levels in the Everglades by channeling water from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the most significant early canals include:

• The Caloosahatchee River Canal: Connected Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico.

• The Kissimmee River Dredging: Altered the natural flow of water to create drainage pathways.

• The St. Lucie Canal: Allowed water to flow eastward into the Atlantic.

While these efforts were initially seen as engineering marvels, they had unintended consequences. The canals disrupted the natural flow of water southward into the Everglades, effectively cutting off essential water supplies to the wetlands.

Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Costs

Disston’s canals drained thousands of acres of wetlands, making portions of the Everglades accessible for farming and settlement. This spurred Florida’s land boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, the scope of his project fell short. Much of the Everglades remained too wet for agricultural use, and seasonal flooding continued to plague the region. Still, Disston’s efforts set the precedent for larger, more aggressive drainage projects in the decades that followed.

The 20th Century: Expanding the Drainage Network

Disston’s vision inspired a wave of ambitious projects to further drain and develop the Everglades. In 1905, Florida Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward launched a campaign to “drain that abominable, pestilence-ridden swamp.” His administration oversaw the construction of additional canals, levees, and pumps.

By the mid-20th century, federal involvement led to the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project (1948), which created a sprawling infrastructure of over 2,100 miles of canals and levees. These projects were designed to control flooding, protect urban areas, and divert water for agriculture.

The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA)

One of the most significant changes was the establishment of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), a 700,000-acre region south of Lake Okeechobee dedicated to farming—primarily sugarcane.

• Economic Impact: The EAA became one of the most productive agricultural zones in the country, producing over 2 million tons of sugar annually.

• Environmental Consequences: The EAA blocked water that would naturally flow into the Everglades, starving the ecosystem of its lifeblood. Fertilizer runoff from the EAA introduced phosphorus into waterways, causing algal blooms and disrupting natural nutrient balances.

How the Everglades Changed

The aggressive drainage and development efforts have fundamentally altered the Everglades:

Loss of Land

• Over 50% of the original Everglades has been lost to urban and agricultural development.

• Urban expansion westward from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and other cities has encroached on wetlands, further fragmenting the ecosystem.

Altered Water Flow

• The natural southward flow of water has been reduced by over 50%, with much of it now diverted into canals leading to the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean.

• Seasonal flooding and droughts have worsened due to the disruption of the Everglades’ natural water storage system.

Pollution and Soil Loss

• Fertilizer runoff from agricultural operations has polluted Lake Okeechobee and coastal estuaries, fueling toxic algal blooms.

• The muck soils of the Everglades Agricultural Area are oxidizing and subsiding at a rate of about 1 inch per year, making portions of the land unusable.

Wildlife Decline

• Over 68 species, including the Florida panther and wood stork, are now threatened or endangered due to habitat loss.

• Invasive species like Burmese pythons, introduced by human disturbance, have further disrupted native ecosystems.

The Legacy of Drainage

Hamilton Disston’s early canals, along with the massive projects that followed, succeeded in making portions of the Everglades profitable for agriculture and habitable for people. However, the unintended environmental consequences have been devastating. What was once a thriving, interconnected wetland is now a fragmented landscape battling pollution, habitat loss, and hydrological dysfunction.

The Restoration Challenge

Efforts to restore the Everglades have been underway for decades, most notably through the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Authorized in 2000, CERP is a $23 billion initiative aimed at reversing some of the damage by:

• Restoring natural water flows through the Everglades.

• Reducing nutrient pollution from agricultural runoff.

• Reestablishing wildlife habitats.

While progress has been slow, there is hope that portions of the Everglades can be saved. Yet, the question lingers: how much of this damage could have been avoided if Disston and others had understood the ecological importance of the Everglades?

Conclusion

The story of the Everglades is a cautionary tale about the consequences of large-scale environmental manipulation and the challenges of trying to undo such damage. As restoration continues, Florida faces the difficult task of balancing human needs with the survival of its most iconic natural treasure.

Sources

• Grunwald, Michael. The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise.

• Florida Department of Environmental Protection. “Everglades Agricultural Area: Challenges and Opportunities.”

• National Park Service. "Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan."

• U.S. Geological Survey. "Everglades Hydrology and Restoration."

• Swain, Frederick M. "Historical Attempts to Drain the Everglades." Florida Historical Quarterly.

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