FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 20, 2014
DEP COMMITS $300,000 TO PROTECT
LAKE
OKEECHOBEE
~Stormwater-improvement project reduces
pollutants reaching Lake Okeechobee~
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida
Department of Environmental Protection has committed $300,000 to the city of
Moore Haven for stormwater-system improvements to reduce pollutants reaching
Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River Basin. The project involves the
construction of stormwater conveyance structures, such as catch basins and
swales, to remove pollutants and reduce flooding in the area. It also involves
driveway and roadway restoration.
“The water
quality in Lake Okeechobee suffers from excess nutrient content from a variety
of sources,” said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. “We are seeking to
diminish or eliminate as many pollutant sources as possible, which we can
frequently accomplish through the type of targeted and efficient stormwater
management this project is designed to achieve.”
Stormwater runoff is water that
flows into creeks, streams or rivers after rain. Stormwater runoff usually contains
a number of pollutants including fertilizers, pesticides, oil and grease. Once
this runoff reaches a body of water, the pollutants can cause rapid algal
growth, algal blooms and other complications. Treating stormwater runoff
through catch basins and swales will improve water quality.
Located
in the heart of the greater Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades ecosystem, Lake
Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in Florida and the second largest
freshwater lake within the contiguous United States. It is a valuable
multipurpose lake that provides drinking water for urban areas, irrigation
water for agricultural lands, recharge for aquifers and freshwater for the
Everglades. With an average depth of only nine feet, it is vulnerable to
pollution from surrounding land uses and flooding.
Lake
Okeechobee is a source of water for the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and
estuaries. Water releases from the lake -- intended to control flooding -- can
deliver too much fresh water and pollutants downstream. Therefore, continued
restoration projects for Lake Okeechobee also positively impact the Caloosahatchee
and St. Lucie watersheds where additional restoration programs are already
underway.
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