FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 27, 2016
DEP AND SFWMD EXPEDITE WATER STORAGE PROJECTS TO ADDRESS EXCESSIVE
LAKE O DISCHARGES
~State agencies working together to meet Emergency Order directives~
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In response to Governor Rick Scott’s Executive Order, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has
expedited authorizations for the DuPuis Dispersed Water Management
Project and the Indian River Lagoon South C-23 Section C Parcel Project to reduce future excessive discharges to estuaries.
“Thanks to the leadership of Governor Rick Scott, the department
has been able to expedite required permitting of two crucial water storage projects
in Martin and St. Lucie counties," said DEP Secretary Jon Steverson. "These projects will continue the
ongoing efforts of the South Florida Water Management District to identify and
implement water storage in order to reduce damaging discharges."
“These projects will bring immediate benefits to Treasure Coast
residents impacted by this emergency and we thank the Governor’s Office and the
Department of Environmental Protection for helping to speed this relief,” said
South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Chairman Daniel
O’Keefe. “Both projects will store local stormwater runoff that would otherwise
flow into the St. Lucie Estuary. The nutrients and freshwater in local runoff
are large contributors to the growth of naturally-occurring algal blooms.”
The DuPuis Project seeks to improve the
natural hydrologic functions within the DuPuis Wildlife Management Area in western Martin County, in
addition to providing 362 acre-feet of storage south of Lake Okeechobee.
The C-23 Section C parcel, located in
southwest St. Lucie County, will help reduce discharges to the St. Lucie Estuary
from the C-23, C-24 and C-44 canals by providing approximately 200-1,000
acre-feet of additional storage.
On June 29, Governor Rick Scott issued an
Executive Order declaring a state of emergency in Martin and St.
Lucie counties following the presence of algal blooms in local waterways. That
Order was amended on June 30 to include Lee and Palm Beach counties.
The Order stated that excessive discharges
from Lake Okeechobee have caused a state of emergency in Martin and St. Lucie
Counties. To reduce and address excess discharges, the Order directed the South
Florida Water Management District to:
- Store additional water north of
Lake Okeechobee in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.
- Work with state and community
partners to explore every opportunity to increase water flowing south from
Lake Okeechobee.
- Store additional water through
dispersed water-storage projects.
These water-storage projects address the directives outlined in the Governor's Executive Order.
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