The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District is taking comments for the next 30 days on an environmental report related to the rehabilitation of Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee.
The comment period for the final environmental impact statement on the Herbert Hoover Dike Dam Safety Modification Study opens today (June 3) and will remain open until Sunday, July 3. The document focuses on the potential environmental impacts related to the Corps’ recommended plan to complete rehabilitation on the dike.
“We are nearing completion of this study, which has been undertaking concurrent with construction of some of the highest-priority, risk-reduction features,” said Tim Willadsen, project manager for Herbert Hoover Dike rehabilitation. “Completion of this report is another step for the approval of additional rehabilitation work that would start in fiscal year 2019.”
The recommended plan calls for installing 24 miles of seepage barrier, commonly known as a partial cutoff wall from Moore Haven to Lake Harbor. The Corps proposes installing an additional four miles of cutoff wall near Lakeport. Engineers also recommend armoring the embankment around the State Route 78 bridge near the Harney Pond Canal and installing floodwall near water control structures on the Harney Pond and Indian Prairie Canals.
This work, coupled with ongoing work to replace 28 water control structures around the dike, and approved plans to build six miles of cutoff wall between Belle Glade and Lake Harbor, comprise the remaining elements of the Herbert Hoover Dike rehabilitation program.
The documents can be at the following website: http://bit.ly/1IRGKID. Users should find links to the documents toward the bottom of the page under the heading “What’s New.” Physical copies of the documents are also available at these locations:
Glades County Library
201 Riverside Drive
Moore Haven, FL
Hendry County Barron Library
461 North Main Street
LaBelle, FL
Hendry County Harry T Vaughn Library
120 West Osceola Avenue
Clewiston, FL
Martin County Elisabeth Lahti Library
15200 SW Adams Avenue
Indiantown, FL
Martin County Blake Library
2351 SE Monterey Road
Stuart, FL
Okeechobee County Public Library
206 SW 16th Street
Okeechobee, FL
Palm Beach County Library
Main Branch
3650 Summit Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL
Palm Beach County Library
Belle Glade Branch
725 NW 4th Street
Belle Glade, FL
Palm Beach County Library
Loula V. York Branch
525 Bacom Point Road
Pahokee, FL
Palm Beach County Library
Clarence E. Anthony Branch
375 SW 2nd Avenue
South Bay, FL
The Corps will accept comments until Sunday, July 3, 2016 through its Environmental Branch at the Corps’ Jacksonville District office:
• Forward email comments to HHDEnvironment@usace.army.mil.
• Forward written comments to the following mailing address:
Stacie Auvenshine
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District
P.O. Box 4970
Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019
For more information on the Herbert Hoover Dike rehabilitation project, please visit the Jacksonville District website at http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/LakeOkeechobee/HerbertHooverDike.aspx.
-30-