1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:10,910 The US Army Corps of Engineers , 3 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:12,920 Jacksonville District and the South 4 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:15,230 Florida Water Management District along 5 00:00:15,230 --> 00:00:16,850 with federal state and local 6 00:00:16,850 --> 00:00:19,170 stakeholders joined forces to break 7 00:00:19,170 --> 00:00:21,490 ground for the Everglades agricultural 8 00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:23,860 area reservoir project . Today's 9 00:00:23,870 --> 00:00:26,850 groundbreaking is Testament to the fact 10 00:00:26,860 --> 00:00:29,050 that the Army Corps of Engineers , 11 00:00:29,060 --> 00:00:31,393 South Florida Water Management District , 12 00:00:31,393 --> 00:00:33,393 all of the stakeholders communities 13 00:00:33,393 --> 00:00:35,504 that are invested in these projects . 14 00:00:35,504 --> 00:00:37,060 They're up to the task . So 15 00:00:37,060 --> 00:00:39,116 congratulations to everybody for the 16 00:00:39,116 --> 00:00:41,060 groundbreaking here today with the 17 00:00:41,060 --> 00:00:43,171 backdrop of two massive granite piles 18 00:00:43,171 --> 00:00:45,004 used for the construction site . 19 00:00:45,004 --> 00:00:47,171 Colonel James Booth , the Jacksonville 20 00:00:47,171 --> 00:00:49,282 district commander welcomed the crowd 21 00:00:49,282 --> 00:00:51,171 and assured them of the continued 22 00:00:51,171 --> 00:00:53,004 commitment to advance Everglades 23 00:00:53,004 --> 00:00:54,805 projects and many consider the 24 00:00:54,805 --> 00:00:56,975 Everglades agricultural area reservoir 25 00:00:56,975 --> 00:00:58,586 to be the crown jewel of the 26 00:00:58,586 --> 00:01:00,642 Comprehensive Everglades restoration 27 00:01:00,642 --> 00:01:02,870 plan . The reservoir is truly going to 28 00:01:02,870 --> 00:01:04,926 be a game changer for the Everglades 29 00:01:04,926 --> 00:01:06,820 for South Florida . We have a 30 00:01:06,820 --> 00:01:09,360 monumental project ahead of us when 31 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:12,380 completed will have built a 16 square 32 00:01:12,380 --> 00:01:14,520 mile reservoir covering the area 33 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,576 similar to the cities of Stewart and 34 00:01:16,576 --> 00:01:18,740 Fort Myers . Put together the E A 35 00:01:18,750 --> 00:01:21,330 reservoir is one of 68 projects 36 00:01:21,340 --> 00:01:23,007 outlined in the Comprehensive 37 00:01:23,007 --> 00:01:25,460 Everglades restoration plan . The 38 00:01:25,460 --> 00:01:27,293 project is comprised of two main 39 00:01:27,293 --> 00:01:29,960 components , a storage reservoir and a 40 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:32,182 stormwater treatment area . Currently , 41 00:01:32,182 --> 00:01:34,349 we're moving forward with construction 42 00:01:34,349 --> 00:01:36,349 on the a reservoir with our what we 43 00:01:36,349 --> 00:01:38,349 call our contract 10 A which is the 44 00:01:38,349 --> 00:01:40,349 inflow outflow canal and canal that 45 00:01:40,349 --> 00:01:42,460 project builds to canals north of the 46 00:01:42,460 --> 00:01:44,571 reservoir to help maintain water flow 47 00:01:44,571 --> 00:01:46,516 into the reservoir . That water is 48 00:01:46,516 --> 00:01:48,738 going to come from Lake Okeechobee into 49 00:01:48,738 --> 00:01:50,627 that canal and then flow into the 50 00:01:50,627 --> 00:01:52,293 reservoir . We then also have 51 00:01:52,293 --> 00:01:54,404 additional projects that are going to 52 00:01:54,404 --> 00:01:56,571 build a approximately 28-30-foot levee 53 00:01:56,571 --> 00:01:58,516 around this site . You say this is 54 00:01:58,516 --> 00:02:01,490 constructing a 10,500 acre reservoir . 55 00:02:01,500 --> 00:02:03,800 It is a massive deep water reservoir 56 00:02:03,810 --> 00:02:06,032 that will store excess lay cold water , 57 00:02:06,032 --> 00:02:08,199 preventing it from being discharged to 58 00:02:08,199 --> 00:02:10,199 the coast . Its footprint will span 59 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:12,640 approximately 16 square miles once 60 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:14,584 complete . This project is massive 61 00:02:14,584 --> 00:02:16,640 because it control it can take water 62 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:18,862 from Lake Okeechobee and so we can take 63 00:02:18,862 --> 00:02:20,973 about six inches of water off of Lake 64 00:02:20,973 --> 00:02:20,910 Okeechobee and bring it into this 65 00:02:20,910 --> 00:02:23,077 reservoir . So this reservoir is meant 66 00:02:23,077 --> 00:02:25,188 to hold a large amount of water so we 67 00:02:25,188 --> 00:02:27,354 can hold it during our wet season . We 68 00:02:27,354 --> 00:02:29,521 get a lot of water at one point in the 69 00:02:29,521 --> 00:02:31,688 summer and then during the winter , we 70 00:02:31,688 --> 00:02:31,510 don't have as much water . So what this 71 00:02:31,510 --> 00:02:33,454 reservoir is doing is holding that 72 00:02:33,454 --> 00:02:35,621 water when we don't need it . And then 73 00:02:35,621 --> 00:02:37,899 when we do need it in the dryer season , 74 00:02:37,899 --> 00:02:40,066 it can send it south to the Everglades 75 00:02:40,066 --> 00:02:42,066 to rehydrate . The Everglades . The 76 00:02:42,066 --> 00:02:44,232 Everglades restoration is a 50 50 cost 77 00:02:44,232 --> 00:02:46,399 share arrangement by the Army Corps of 78 00:02:46,399 --> 00:02:48,510 Engineers and the South Florida Water 79 00:02:48,510 --> 00:02:50,732 Management District . The total cost of 80 00:02:50,732 --> 00:02:52,954 the Central Everglades planning project 81 00:02:52,954 --> 00:02:56,555 E A phase is at $3.9 billion 82 00:02:56,625 --> 00:02:58,445 Everglades restoration builds 83 00:02:58,445 --> 00:03:00,665 resiliency for South Florida and the 84 00:03:00,665 --> 00:03:03,155 Everglades . This project is a major 85 00:03:03,155 --> 00:03:05,005 component of the Comprehensive 86 00:03:05,015 --> 00:03:07,295 Everglades restoration plan that 87 00:03:07,295 --> 00:03:09,565 provides engineering solutions for our 88 00:03:09,565 --> 00:03:11,815 nation's toughest challenges and 89 00:03:11,815 --> 00:03:14,165 reconnects Lake Okeechobee water to the 90 00:03:14,165 --> 00:03:16,385 Central Everglades . Now , here we are 91 00:03:16,385 --> 00:03:20,245 today . And this year , I mean , when , 92 00:03:20,500 --> 00:03:23,300 When have we turned a concept and an 93 00:03:23,300 --> 00:03:26,850 idea in Senate Bill 10 into finishing a 94 00:03:26,850 --> 00:03:29,980 wetland treatment system and starting a 95 00:03:29,990 --> 00:03:33,040 massive incredible reservoir in six 96 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,670 years . That doesn't happen . So do not 97 00:03:35,670 --> 00:03:37,565 ever doubt the folks at the 98 00:03:37,565 --> 00:03:39,565 Jacksonville District . I see you , 99 00:03:39,565 --> 00:03:41,898 Colonel Kirk that was there at the time , 100 00:03:41,898 --> 00:03:44,121 the Jacksonville District and the South 101 00:03:44,121 --> 00:03:46,121 Florida Water Management District . 102 00:03:46,121 --> 00:03:48,232 We're ready to get busy . We're going 103 00:03:48,232 --> 00:03:50,232 to get stuff done reporting for you 104 00:03:50,232 --> 00:03:52,398 says I'm Davina Fuller Bender in South 105 00:03:52,398 --> 00:03:52,255 Bay Florida .