Corps announces public meetings for Lake Okeechobee Watershed study

Published July 18, 2018
Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project map 2018

Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project map 2018

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District announces a series of public meetings for the Draft Integrated Project Implementation Report (PIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project (LOWRP). 

Please join us at the series of public meetings scheduled from 6-8 p.m.:

Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Lee County Mosquito and Hyacinth Control Districts
15191 Homestead Road
Lehigh Acres, FL 33971

Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Indian River State College
Wolf High-Technology Center
2400 SE Salerno Road
Stuart, FL 34997

Thursday, August 2, 2018
Indian River State College
Williamson Conference and Education Center
2229 NW 9th Avenue
Okeechobee, FL 34972

The Corps proposes an above-ground wetland attenuation feature (WAF) and several aquifer storage & recovery (ASR) wells in an area north of the lake. The proposed plan also calls for restoration of 5,300 acres of wetlands in the area. The draft document was released for review on July 6, 2018.

“This plan provides additional flexibility for managing water north of the lake in a manner consistent with Everglades’ restoration goals,” said Lisa Aley, Planning Technical Lead for the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project. “We hope that people join us for the public meetings, and look forward to hearing from people living and working in the area on this proposed plan.”

The Draft LOWRP Integrated PIR/EIS document is available at: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/LOWRP/.  

The Corps will accept public comment through August 20.

Those interested in submitting comments may do so electronically at OkeechobeeWatershedRestoration@usace.army.mil.

Written comments can be mailed to:
Dr. Gretchen Ehlinger
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District
P.O. Box 4970
Jacksonville, FL  32232-0019

The LOWRP study began during the summer of 2016 with a goal to identify opportunities to improve the water storage capacity in the Lake Okeechobee watershed in a manner that would improve lake stage levels for environmental and water supply purposes while reducing undesirable discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries, and restoring wetlands along Kissimmee River.

 More information on Jacksonville District’s ecosystem restoration efforts is available at http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/Ecosystem-Restoration/.

 


Contact
Erica Skolte
561-340-1527
Erica.A.Skolte@usace.army.mil

Release no. 18-053