FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 20, 2013
DEP KICKS OFF LAKE OKEECHOBEE RESTORATION PLAN
DEVELOPMENT
~DEP and South Florida Water Management District fund irrigation reuse project to reduce phosphorus~
TALLAHASSEE –Today, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection took a
major step forward in drawing up a detailed restoration
plan for Lake Okeechobee and met with key area stakeholders. At the same time, the Department has committed $4 million toward
restoring the lake through an Istokpoga Marsh water quality improvement project.
This restoration plan, called a basin management
action plan, or BMAP, will identify
additional water quality projects moving forward, funding sources and an
implementation schedule necessary to bring the Lake Okeechobee watershed back
to health. Lake Okeechobee is a source of water for the Caloosahatchee and St.
Lucie estuaries as well as the Everglades. Completing the Department’s
restoration plan will be another step toward
achieving the Northern Everglades and
Estuaries Protection Program’s goals, set by the Florida Legislature in 2007.
“This restoration plan, along with the restoration plans for the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie
estuaries, are important to the health of these South Florida
waterbodies,” said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. “We are grateful to the South Florida Water Management District,
not only for contributing $2 million to the Istokpoga project, but for numerous
nutrient-reduction projects already being implemented throughout the
watershed.”
The Istokpoga Marsh water quality
improvement project is located in the Istokpoga Marsh
Watershed Improvement District and covers 19,262 acres acres. Upon completion,
the project is expected to reduce the annual agricultural
irrigation discharge from the watershed by 60 percent and cut
phosphorus loading by 70 percent to the lake. Phase 1 involves construction of 308 acres of impoundments to
collect runoff irrigation water and release it back into the Improvement
District’s system of canals. Reusing the water will satisfy irrigation demands
while reducing the amount of phosphorus that ends up in Lake Okeechobee.
“The South Florida Water
Management District shares the vision for improving and restoring Lake
Okeechobee, often called the “liquid heart” of South Florida,” said South
Florida Water Management District Executive Director Melissa L. Meeker. “The
BMAP process is essential to identify the projects, partners and funding that
will help us all achieve that vision.”
The first meeting of Lake Okeechobee BMAP stakeholders was held Wednesday at the South Florida Water
Management District’s Okeechobee
Service Center to update the status of current Lake Okeechobee restoration
efforts and discuss new efforts to achieve the long term water quality targets. The meeting also included updates on ongoing efforts by local governments and agriculture to tackle
pollution problems now. It will be followed by a technical meeting in late
March when the detailed
work of developing new projects and management strategies will occur.
“Lake Okeechobee
is a state treasure. We will do everything we can, working with the many
dedicated local stakeholders, to promote innovative thinking and creative
solutions that expedite restoration,” said Drew Bartlett, Director of the DEP’s
Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration. “I am particularly pleased
to continue our partnership with the Istokpoga Marsh Water Improvement District
and Highlands County, which continue to invest time and money toward the
success of the Istokpoga project and the rest of the hard work ahead.”
For more about Lake
Okeechobee, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/water/watersheds/bmap.htm
and www.sfwmd.gov/okeechobee.
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