Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts 1 of 10 https://www.wptv.com/news/protecting-paradise/sending-more-water-sou... ___ • Watch Live Menu Quick links... NEWS PROTECTING PARADISE Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts -- lots of them New 6,500-acre stormwater treatment area under construction near South Bay --> Play Video Engineering and construction teams are busy carving and blasting pathways for a new 6,500-acre stormwater treatment area near South Bay. 9/14/2021, 8:52 AM Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts 2 of 10 https://www.wptv.com/news/protecting-paradise/sending-more-water-sou... By: Michael Williams Posted at 12:15 PM, Sep 10, 2021 and last updated 6:37 PM, Sep 10, 2021 SOUTH BAY, Fla. — Send more water south or more precisely send more clean water south from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades. Those refrains have long been the focus of environmentalists from the Treasure Coast to Florida Bay and beyond. SPECIAL COVERAGE: Protecting Paradise A broadsheet flow of water is how nature made its blueprint, with Lake Okeechobee at the heart of an aquatic marvel stretching north and south. Recent Stories from wptv.com Top Videos WATCH MORE Connected Warriors opens behavioral health cen… in Boca Raton For many thousands of years that water nourished the famed "River of Grass" 9/14/2021, 8:52 AM Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts 3 of 10 https://www.wptv.com/news/protecting-paradise/sending-more-water-sou... until man came along to create a network of canals to protect South Florida's booming population from floods. The end result -- environmentalists argue -- is a stunted, dying Everglades and fouled waterways on the Treasure Coast. Nature never intended freshwater from Lake Okeechobee, and the giant watershed atop it, to flow east and west, upsetting the brackish water in which estuaries, their fisheries and the people who depended on them long thrived. WPTV Construction management engineer Tim Harper overseas the project. Moreover, the increasing frequency of toxic algae-laden water has created huge, additional worries over the past decade. Now, after decades of stops and starts, work is underway south of South Bay in western Palm Beach County. The goal is to mimic nature. Engineering and construction teams, working 9/14/2021, 8:52 AM Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts 4 of 10 https://www.wptv.com/news/protecting-paradise/sending-more-water-sou... under the guidance of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), are busy carving and blasting pathways for a new 6,500-acre stormwater treatment area (STA). The plan is to send more water south via existing canals from the big lake, clean it in filtering marshes, then send it to the Everglades and Florida Bay. The SFWMD said the new STA is set to be fully operational by late 2024. WPTV South Florida Water Management spokesman Randy Smith calls the plan one of the largest environmental projects in the U.S. The other big project is the long-talked-about 10,500-acre reservoir that will sit next to the STA. It will be built by the Army Corps of Engineers within the next decade under current timetables. The hope is that the reservoir becomes another big piece of the effort to reduce water flows east and west and aids in the effort to store and eventually send 9/14/2021, 8:52 AM Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts 5 of 10 https://www.wptv.com/news/protecting-paradise/sending-more-water-sou... more clean water south. The combined estimated cost of the STA/reservoir projects comes to $3.5 billion, which will be split 50/50 between state and federal dollars. However, there is controversy. There always has been when it comes to water, and water use, in South Florida. Sugar growing interests have filed a lawsuit saying the Army Corps reservoir project threatens to cut the amount of water they are promised for their crops under longstanding rules. Environmentalists said the lawsuit is without merit, but it is one more piece of this evolving story we will be looking into as the goal to "send more water south" begins, after decades of wrangling, to come off the drawing boards. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sign up for the Lunchtime Headlines Newsletter and receive up to date information. E-mail Submit CURATION BY Sponsored Tennessee : Say Bye To Your Home Insurance Bill If You Live In These Zip Codes ottoinsurance.com Sponsored Women Who Eat According To Body Type Lose More Weight... Health-intelligence.us 9/14/2021, 8:52 AM Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts 6 of 10 https://www.wptv.com/news/protecting-paradise/sending-more-water-sou... Sponsored How Dogs Cry For Help: 3 Warning Signs Your Dog Is Crying For Help www.thecaninecode.com Study �nds consensual non-monogamy is more common than people realize Former Florida resident unknowingly trained 9/11 terrorists Sponsored 11 Bene�ts That Most Seniors Forget To Claim The Wallet Watcher Sponsored Here Is What Ductless AC Installation Should Cost In Johnson City Ductless AC | Sponsored Results 9/14/2021, 8:52 AM Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts 7 of 10 https://www.wptv.com/news/protecting-paradise/sending-more-water-sou... Sponsored New Senior Apartments Coming to Johnson City (Take A Look at The Prices) Senior Living | Search Ads Jesse Jackson moved to rehab hospital, wife in ICU for COVID-19 in Chicago Florida mother dies from COVID-19 before meeting newborn Sponsored [Gallery] Always Place A Toilet Paper Roll Under The Toilet Seat At Night, Here's Why xfreehub Sponsored Big Change In Johnson City Leaves Drivers Fuming brunchescrunches.com 9/14/2021, 8:52 AM Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts 8 of 10 https://www.wptv.com/news/protecting-paradise/sending-more-water-sou... 23-year-old Stuart mother missing since Saturday Fauci: It's 'possible, even likely' that Moderna booster won't be approved by Sept. 20 target date Protecting Paradise 1:18 PM, Dec 05, 2018 ADVERTISEMENT 9/14/2021, 8:52 AM Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts 9 of 10 Scripps Local Media © 2021 Scripps Media, Inc https://www.wptv.com/news/protecting-paradise/sending-more-water-sou... Weather Tra�c News Money Sports Entertainment Life Marketplace Don't Waste Your Money Support Sitemap Privacy Policy Privacy Center Journalism Ethics Guidelines Terms of Use EEO Careers FCC Public File FCC Application Public File Contact Accessibility Statement Closed Captioning Contact 9/14/2021, 8:52 AM Sending more water south of Lake Okeechobee begins with blasts 10 of 10 https://www.wptv.com/news/protecting-paradise/sending-more-water-sou... 9/14/2021, 8:52 AM
