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In this edition, you will find the latest news and information about the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and community outreach efforts throughout south Florida. As you read through this issue, you will discover more about what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District are doing to inform, involve, and engage our citizens, businesses and communities in the Everglades restoration plan and the protection of our future water supply. |
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Did you know that the Florida Everglades was once a vibrant, free-flowing river of grass that provided clean water from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay? Today, this extraordinary ecosystem is dying. Over the past half-century, the health and size of the Everglades have steadily declined. Severely impacted by drainage and development, the Everglades is suffering from a critical shortage of clean, reliable water sources. To restore and preserve south Florida's natural environment, enhance water supplies, and maintain flood protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District and numerous other federal, state, local and tribal partners, has developed a plan to save the Everglades. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) includes a series of ecological and water system improvements. During the next 30 years, the Corps, the District, and their sponsoring partners will restore water quality, quantity, timing, and distribution in what is being referred to as "the largest environmental restoration project in history." To find out more about Everglades restoration, visit our official website at www.evergladesplan.org. |
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A partnership of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Florida Water Management District and many other federal, state, local and tribal partners. |
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| August 2006 | ||
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Lake Okeechobee, considered the liquid heart of south Florida, is a completely managed lake. It is encircled by a 140-mile dike, and all water releases from the lake are controlled through a series of locks and canals. Its level is determined by a regulation schedule, which is set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District. Lake Okeechobee’s water level is very important. It affects the health of the lake, water supplies for cities and farms, navigation, and the condition of the dike. As a result, there is a great deal of interest in its water level and how it is managed. There are separate efforts under way to lower the lake’s water level, reduce nutrients entering the lake, and improve the integrity of the dike. |
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The level of Lake Okeechobee is carefully managed by a regulation schedule that considers many factors. The current schedule was developed for drier times than we are experiencing today and lacks sufficient flexibility in certain cases. In 2005, the Corps of Engineers began a study to consider a different lake regulation schedule. The Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Study proposes holding the lake level an average of 1 foot lower than today. This benefits the lake by allowing more marsh vegetation to grow; the coastal estuaries by avoiding large “pulse releases” of fresh water; and the Herbert Hoover Dike by putting less pressure on it. The dike was not designed to hold high water – more than 17.25 feet above sea level – for long periods of time. Under the proposed schedule, the maximum lake level would be 17.25 feet above sea level, which compares to 18.5 today. It is expected that the level would rarely exceed 16 feet. (The dike is up to 35 feet above sea level in places, so the water level should never approach the top of the dike.) The proposed schedule is short-term. If approved, it would be implemented for three years, starting in January 2007. A long-term regulation schedule would be developed, to take into consideration additional water storage projects planned for Everglades restoration. The Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Study was introduced to the public in three informal workshops in July. Four public meetings are scheduled in mid-September for final comment on the associated Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: |
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Tuesday, Sept. 12 Wednesday, Sept. 13 Thursday, Sept. 14 Monday, Sept. 18 |
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Modifying the regulation schedule is an immediate step aimed at reducing the level of Lake Okeechobee. The only way to permanently reduce the level – and subsequent discharges to the estuaries – is to store water elsewhere. Today, Lake Okeechobee is used to store water from a 4,000-square-mile basin north of the lake. Historically, there were many more natural water storage areas in central and south Florida. Now, most of these wetlands and uplands have been developed, leaving far fewer places to store rain water. In lieu of these, water is stored in Lake Okeechobee. The Hoover Dike allows for additional water storage. However, this additional water is harmful to the lake’s ecology. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) will build reservoirs and wells to store water that would normally go into the lake. Collectively, these water storage areas in the lake’s basin could reduce its level by as much as 1 foot. In addition, they will prevent tons of harmful nutrients from flowing into the lake. The reservoirs will be completed starting in 2010, through the state’s Acceler8 program. CERP will provide tremendous benefits to the lake, coastal estuaries and dike by providing these additional storage areas. It should be noted the state of Florida has important programs under way, too, to benefit the lake’s water quality. Improved use of fertilizers, water treatment projects, and identification of more places to store water (in addition to those planned under CERP) are among them. For more information, visit www.evergladesplan.org, www.evergladesnow.org or www.sfwmd.gov. |
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the Herbert Hoover Dike separately from its restoration programs. The dike is 100% a federal project for flood control and navigation. It is linked with restoration programs because water levels affect not only the dike, but the health of the lake. The earthen dike is 70 years old and was state-of-the-art when originally designed. Construction started in 1932 following the deadly hurricanes of 1926 and 1928, and was completed in the 1960s. The dike is nearly as wide as a football field and three stories high. The dike has never failed, even at much higher water levels than we see today. The risk of water going over the top of the dike (overtopping) is very, very low. The risk of failure does grow as water levels rise, not from overtopping, but due to seepage. Because the dike is composed of limestone, gravel and other earthen materials, water naturally seeps through the dike. This seepage may increase in some areas as water levels rise and the weight of the additional water applies more pressure to the inside of the dike. The Corps of Engineers considers public safety and security our highest priority. It has an office in Clewiston and a $9.5 million annual maintenance program that includes regular inspections and maintenance. Congress has authorized a $300 million dike rehabilitation program, currently under way. The goal is to reinforce areas that are subject to high seepage at high water levels. The first phase, covering a 4.6-mile stretch near Port Mayaca, was temporarily suspended this summer. A team of technical experts is reviewing engineering plans to determine the best approach for proceeding with the project. In May 2006, the state of Florida released an independent report which stated the dike needed to be updated and could fail under certain conditions. The report was based on information provided by the Corps of Engineers. The Corps, in fact, recognized limitations of the dike as early as 1984 and that is why our project to strengthen the dike began in December 2005. While the Corps agrees with many points in the report, we believe that the dike is fundamentally structurally sound. No man-made structure is failure-proof, though. The Corps of Engineers is supporting the efforts of state and local emergency managers to develop evacuation plans for communities near the lake, as a precaution during times of exceptionally high water or tropical storm activity. We encourage residents to follow the instructions of their local emergency managers. For the latest information on Lake Okeechobee and the Herbert Hoover Dike, visit: www.saj.usace.army.mil... and www.saj.usace.army.mil/pao.... |
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