BBSEER and Southern Everglades Studies Push Restoration Forward in South Florida

The Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (BBSEER) project continues to move forward as a major planning effort under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District, BBSEER aims to restore freshwater flows into southern Miami-Dade County. As a result, BBSEER should directly lead to improvement of nearshore conditions of Biscayne Bay, Biscayne National Park, and nearby freshwater and coastal wetland communities.

Background

Historically, freshwater flows into Biscayne Bay spread across the landscape, filtering through wetlands before reaching the bay. Decades of development and canalization have led to freshwater pulses from canals, leading to unnatural volumes, timing, and distribution of water that negatively impact the coastal ecosystem. BBSEER seeks to improve the timing and distribution of freshwater flows into southern Miami-Dade County through numerous proposed features, including canal modifications, water storage and treatment areas, and seepage management.

Restoring freshwater flows in this area is critical to rehydrate wetlands that buffer against the detrimental effects of sea level rise and saltwater intrusion. Without timely implementation of BBSEER, coastal communities and the Biscayne Aquifer remain increasingly vulnerable, threatening drinking water supplies, coastal ecosystems, and mangrove communities that protect Miami-Dade County from storm surge.

Backfilling the C-111 Canal

A critical component of BBSEER is the backfilling of the C-111 canal in southern Miami-Dade County. South Florida relies heavily on the Biscayne Aquifer, a shallow groundwater source that is highly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion. Canals like the C-111 drain fresh water away too quickly, lowering groundwater levels, which allows salt water from the coast to move inland and threaten our drinking water. Backfilling of the C-111 would not only rehydrate and connect wetland habitat, benefiting numerous plant and animal species, but also slow or prevent saltwater intrusion farther inland.

Movement in the Southern Everglades Restoration

The Southern Everglades Restoration Project kicked off in January of this year, with the first public meeting held in early April as part of the Corps’ initiation of the National Environmental Policy Act assessment. The Southern Everglades Study seeks to use a series of water management features, particularly the use of seepage walls along western Miami-Dade County, to improve the quantity, quality, timing and distribution of freshwater in Water Conservation Area 3B and eastern Everglades National Park. The project will also include an evaluation of recharge opportunities within the Bird Drive Basin, an area that Audubon has consistently advocated for as critical to Everglades restoration. Despite the phasing out of the Bird Drive Basin under BBSEER, Audubon is encouraged to see the basin’s inclusion in the Southern Everglades Study.

Working Together

BBSEER and the Southern Everglades Study represent critical next steps in advancing Everglades restoration in the southeastern portion of the system, a highly urbanized and complex region. Both projects are tackling long-standing water challenges that have disrupted freshwater flow and degraded coastal and estuarine ecosystems.

Audubon will continue to advocate for these projects to move forward with the most effective strategies.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2026 State of the Everglades Report.