SFWMD hosts meeting on reservoir plan

A 14,600-acre reservoir proposed in Glades County just west of the Kissimmee River is the most cost-efficient way to increase water storage north of Lake Okeechobee, according to the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project (LOWP) team. The reservoir would provide 198,000 acre feet of water storage north of Lake Okeechobee.

That recommendation, released last week, has drawn criticism from Glades County officials.

They voiced concerns about the danger to the residents of Buckhead Ridge if the dam around such a reservoir should break, and about the loss of ad valorem taxes if the state takes even more Glades County land off the tax rolls.

In a letter to the LOWP Project Delivery Team, Glades County Commissioner Tim Stanley wrote, “If this levee were to fail, it would put enough water in S-127’s basin to cover the whole basin in 10 feet of water. We all know that the water will run south and most likely will be deeper than 10 feet along the southern edge. The second largest community in Glades County, Buckhead Ridge, is in this basin.