US court hears Everglades case

By Victoria Harrison BBC's Americas Editor in Miami

The network of swamps and rivers covers 6,000 sq km

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday is hearing for the first time a case about the alleged pollution of the Everglades - south Florida's famous swamps.

Activists say the unique wetlands are being destroyed, despite a multi-million dollar restoration plan.

An Indian tribe and environmental group accuse South Florida Water Management District of polluting the Everglades.

They have won their case in two lower courts. but the US Supreme Court has agreed to hear the water firm's appeal.

The water board says the previous rulings could create barriers to the environmental protection of the Everglades.

It adds that this would increase the burden for public water management agencies and the cost for tax-payers across the country.

The Everglades, a network of rivers and swamps covering over 6,000 square kilometres (1.5 million acres), is home to thousands of plant and animal species, including alligators, dolphins, manatees and turtles.

But more than half of the National Park has been drained in the last 50 years and dozens of local species are now under threat.

Homelands

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case which pits local Indians against the state water management agency.

The Indians say the water company should have to obtain a federal permit to discharge waste and divert water in the Everglades.

The company says it is all part of offering flood protection and protecting the water supply of South Florida.

It says the water it diverts is perfectly clean.

The company's lawyers argue the Clean Water Act at the centre of this case applies to industrial polluters, not public water companies.

They say the lower courts misinterpreted the law.

The Indians insist the water contains pollutants and is causing severe damage to their homelands.

They say if the Supreme Court overturns the rulings, the Everglades will become little more than a large sewer.