Sixteen environmental organizations from throughout the state want Gov. Ron DeSantis to tell the South Florida Water Management District to stop seeking an end to federal court oversight of Everglades water projects.

In November, the district's board voted to ask a federal court to vacate the 1991 "consent decree" giving the court authority to set quality standards for water entering Everglades National Park.

U.S. District Judge Federico A. Moreno is scheduled to hear pro and con arguments on the district's request at a hearing Monday afternoon in Miami.

More: SFWMD board votes to vacate Everglades consent decree

The district said the court oversight is no longer needed because state and federal standards are in place to ensure clean water flows into the Everglades.

The district also claimed the consent decree's red tape bogs down construction of projects designed to send excess Lake Okeechobee water south and prevents sending water east to the St. Lucie River and west to the Caloosahatchee River.

Environmental groups counter the consent decree is the only thing keeping the ecological and economic havoc the Lake O discharges cause in the rivers' estuaries from happening in the Everglades.

More: Environmental groups ask court to keep Everglades oversight

In their letter to the governor, the environmental groups note the water district board members — all appointed by former Gov. Rick Scott — took the action two days after DeSantis was elected.

"They did so with a clear understanding of the significant public opposition such an action would bring and without offering you the time to be briefed on the issue," the letter told the governor.

More: Read the environmentalists' letter to DeSantis

Since his election, DeSantis has asked all the district board members to resign, primarily over a controversial lease of land where the EAA reservoir is to be built to a subsidiary of sugar grower Florida Crystals.

All but two of the nine board members have resigned. The terms of the two holdouts — James Moran, who represents Palm Beach County, and Sam Accursio, who represents Miami-Dade County — end in March.

More: SFWMD board will be all DeSantis appointees by March

Reached in 1991, the consent decree was the result of a 1988 lawsuit in which the federal government claimed state agencies, including the water district, were sending polluted water into Everglades National Park.

The state countered the Army Corps of Engineers equally was responsible for the dirty water.

Under the decree, the state and federal governments promised to work together to address the quality and quantity of water flowing into the Everglades, primarily by building water-cleaning projects, known as stormwater treatment areas, south of Lake Okeechobee.

The letter writers urged DeSantis to "direct" the district to withdraw its motion to vacate the consent decree.

The word "direct" may be a little strong, said Alex Gillen, policy director for the Bullsugar Alliance and a letter signee.

"I don't believe the governor has the authority to direct the district board," Gillen said. "The letter is meant more in an encouraging way. A lot of people are looking for the governor to go on the record as opposing withdrawal from the consent decree. That would be a step in the right direction."

DeSantis spokesman David Vasquez did not reply to questions about the letter before deadline.