Working in conjunction with the best management practices of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) discussed in the previous chapter, the Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) represent the second stage of a phosphorus (P) control program for the northern Everglades. Four of the six STAs are fully operational and are removing P that otherwise would have gone into the Everglades Protection Area (EPA). During Water Year 2002 (WY02), STA-1W, STA-2, STA-5 and STA-6, section 1 treated more than 826 cubic hectometers (670,244 ac-ft) of water, and removed more than 83 metric tons of P, for an overall 71-percent removal rate. Flows and P inflows to the STAs increased considerably from the previous water year’s drier conditions. A summary is provided in Table 4A-1. To date, the four operational STAs have reduced P concentrations to less than 35 parts per billion (ppb), well below the long-term design target of 50 ppb. Since the initiation of STA operation in 1994, the STAs have reduced P loads by approximately 198 tons through April 2002.