The Florida legislature enacts the Everglades Forever Act. The Act eliminates the SWIM plan and establishes a narrative water quality standard for phosphorus that prohibits waters in the Everglades Protection Area to be altered so as to cause an imbalance in the natural populations of aquatic flora and fauna. It also sets a default numeric nutrient water quality standard of 10 parts per billion of phosphorus if the state otherwise does not adopt such a rule by December 31, 2003. The Act extends the deadline for compliance with the phosphorus standard until 2006. The Act also modifies many of the construction, operation, and compliance deadlines set forth in the consent decree and establishes a schedule for the construction of STAs.