The deal between Florida and the Environmental Protection Agency isn't a victory lap for Everglades restoration, but it does mean that the race to save the "River of Grass" can start again.

Under the agreement, the state will spend roughly $880 million over the next dozen years on projects to clean water that flows into the Everglades. The initiative began in 1994 with the Everglades Forever Act, which was prompted by a 1988 federal lawsuit. The water-quality effort is separate from the federal-state Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan to increase water quantity.

It takes a Ph.D to decipher the science, but in kitchen-table English the problem is that for decades fertilizer-laden water moved from farmland into the Everglades. In the fertilizer is phosphorous, which harms plants and wildlife. The amount of phosphorous must be minimal - 10 parts per billion - to be safe. Getting to that level means storing and filtering water before it gets to the Everglades.

As the consent order between the state and feds notes, Florida has built almost 94 square miles of treatment areas in the last two decades. While the water is much cleaner, though, it isn't clean enough. With these new projects, which will create more storage areas, the EPA believes that the state can meet the final standard.

In an interview with The Palm Beach Post, EPA Regional Administrator Gwen Keyes Fleming cites two reasons for optimism. "We now have the phosphorous limit (that 10 parts per billion) in writing," under what the agreement calls a Water Quality Based Effluent Limit. Also, Ms. Fleming said, "We have a robust monitoring plan in place with clear deadlines." After a "stalemate" of several years, "the parties are in place" in Tallahassee and Washington to resume work.

Still, all that state money must come from the South Florida Water Management District, and in 2011 Gov. Scott and the Legislature cut the budgets of the five water districts by $200 million. A bill this year loosened some of those restrictions, but the district can't complete the projects on time if Tallahassee's priority is cutting taxes.

In her letter to The Palm Beach Post, Ms. Fleming said, "While we would prefer an earlier schedule, we are hopeful the timetable can be accelerated if circumstances and resources permit." That's enough wiggle room for a bull gator to get through. Also, there seems to be no defined remedy if the state violates the agreement. The water district says the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will monitor progress with the EPA.

A fact sheet on the agreement from the water management district says the agency will "fund the plan through a combination of state and district revenues," including $220 million in reserves and "$300 million in anticipated revenues associated with long-term new growth in South Florida." That's hardly guaranteed money.

Ernie Barnett, the district's Everglades policy director, points out that the $300 million figure is the most conservative estimate, based on new construction. He says the district is seeing more building activity in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Finally, he notes that the Legislature approved Everglades money even while cutting the district's overall budget.

Fortunately, because of the lawsuit the federal government still has leverage over the state. Environmental groups also remain engaged. David Guest, an attorney for Earthjustice, represents some of those groups. "We will be back in court," he said, "if (the state) gets off this track."

The Everglades Forever Act set a water-quality deadline of 2006. Then-Gov. Jeb Bush and the Legislature pushed it back 10 years. Now the deadline is 2025. We must hope that the Everglades can hold out, and that Florida's promise this time is real.

Randy Schultz

for The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board