Army Corp, other agencies to meet about future Okeechobee releases
Army Corps, other agencies will meet in Clewiston to discuss future Okeechobee releases
The future of Lake Okeechobee releases will be guided by a group that's meeting for the first time Tuesday in Clewiston.
Called the project delivery team, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the lead federal agency involved with the project, which includes developing new release protocols for what's often referred to as the heart of the historic Everglades.
"It's not just for lake operations," said Army Corps spokeswoman Erica Skolte. "These projects will come online in 2022. The rehabilitation of the dike will be completed and C-43 and C-44 is completed (by then). That’s why we’re calling this a system."
The Corps has been working to strengthen the 143-mile earthen berm, or dike that surrounds the lake and keeps it from overflowing onto nearby towns and large farming operations for about a decade.
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Public input meetings will be scheduled, and its likely that the Army Corps will give presentations and take comments at several locations in South Florida.