Florida Everglades Research Paper

Words: 613
Pages: 3

A once beautiful wetland filled with mangroves, grass marshes, all sorts of wildlife, and lots of water. Now the water is contaminated and the animals have no place to go. This “subtropical wilderness” is called the Florida Everglades. First off, the Florida Everglades provide clean water to about 7 million FLorida residents and was one home to many exotic species making the Everglades very important. In 1905-1910 settlers coming from outside of Florida had an idea to drain the Florida Everglades in order to create more farmlands. Railroads were being built and the population just kept growing. The Everglades wildlife was decreasing fast and so did the wetlands. Only 50% of the wetlands are still there today. Having clean and fresh water for the people and animals is very important. In source 1, Past and Present: The Florida Everglades by Tobey Haskell states that “Improving and …show more content…
If the water is contaminated it is dangerous for humans to use and harmful for the animals that live in the water. One of the main issues is the sugar cane crop. When the demand for sugar is high, more space is needed for growing the crop. In order to get more land, some of the Everglades gets drained. This causing animals no where to live and no place to get water, Also, the water that gets drained is released down into farmland causing the water to be contaminated by pesticides and other chemicals. Plus, the water that used to flow into the Everglades was redirected into other areas where the water isn’t needed. In the source Water Quality Nearly Halts Everglades Restoration by Robin Martelli, it states that “Phosphorous is found in fertilizer, decaying soil, and animal waste. In other words it is likely to be present in areas around a farm.” The Everglades was drained and redirected to these farmlands causing the water to not meet water quality