FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2016
DEP AUTHORIZES CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITIONAL PROJECT TO FURTHER EVERGLADES RESTORATION
~Lake Hicpochee project to restore historic water flows and improve water quality for Caloosahatchee River~
TALLAHASSEE,
Fla. – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has authorized the
South Florida Water Management District to begin construction of the Lake
Hicpochee Hydrologic Enhancement Project, which will help restore the lake’s historic
water flows as well as improve the quality of water entering the Caloosahatchee River.
This project is part of the Florida’s Northern Everglades and Estuaries
Protection Plan, which promotes a watershed approach to protecting Lake
Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and estuaries.
"The
department is pleased to advance this critical project to restore Lake
Hicpochee and protect the Caloosahatchee Estuary," said Drew Bartlett, DEP deputy
secretary for ecosystem restoration. "This project will reduce nutrients and
improve hydrology to benefit this important Southwest Florida ecosystem."
Located southwest of Lake Okeechobee, the project site will
cover approximately 720 acres and is adjacent to the north levee of the C-43
Canal of the Caloosahatchee River. Work by local interests began in the 1800s to connect the
Caloosahatchee River (C-43 Canal) to Lake Okeechobee, bisecting Lake Hicpochee into north and
south portions and altering the lake’s ecology and hydrology. This project will help
restore the historic lake bed and wetlands.
"Improving hydrology at
Lake Hicpochee is an important part of the regional effort to improve water
quality and protect the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary," said SFWMD Governing
Board Member Mitch Hutchcraft. "The project is also a priority for residents on
the Southwest Coast, and DEP’s action allows us to move forward on this beneficial effort."
Project construction will include a 670-acre flow equalization
basin (FEB) that can store 1,280 acre-feet of water and a 6,500-foot spreader
canal along the north boundary of Lake Hicpochee in eastern Glades County. The
FEB will capture and store C-19 stormwater flows before passing it through
wetland marshes, resulting in improved water quality prior to its release to the Caloosahatchee River. Construction is scheduled
to occur from September 2016 to November 2017.
The 2016-17 Florida First budget approved by the Legislature and
Governor Rick Scott provides $16.9 million from the Amendment 1 Land
Acquisition Trust Fund for an additional 2,454 acres that will provide additional water storage for the project. The
Department of Environmental Protection has previously funded more than $1.2
million for land acquisition and over $500,000 for engineering design of this
project.
|