Funding for repairs to Hoover Dike fast-tracked, work to be completed 3 years sooner

BELLE GLADE — Senator Bill Nelson made a major announcement Thursday in Belle Glade about repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike: he’s fast-tracking the project.

Now, the Army Corps of Engineers approved to complete the project by 2022, three years earlier than expected.

So who’s paying for the project?

According to Senator Nelson, $1 billion have already been spent with an additional $720 million to go. Nelson said Thursday that money will officially come from the Hurricane Disaster Assistance fund, a pot of money holding $80 billion dollars.

“It was a big pot of money," explained Sen. Nelson, “and we needed about three-quarters of a billion to complete this.”

The repairs to the dike mean added safety for the communities living alongside Lake Okeechobee and less discharge into the water that reaches the Treasure Coast. That discharge causes toxic algae blooms.

Senator Nelson also shared the details of the water bill he is introducing to the Senate next week. It involves cleaning the water before dumping it into the St. Lucie River and distributing the water from Lake Okeechobee differently.