Lake Okeechobee Project Meeting Set for Next Week

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, will be hosting a public meeting to discuss and seek input on the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project.

The meeting will be held in the Okeechobee Auditorium on Tuesday, July 26th with an open house beginning at 6 p.m., followed by an official presentation at 7 p.m.

The objectives of the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project are to improve system-wide operational flexibility, reduce undesirable releases to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries downstream of the lake, improve the quality of water entering Lake Okeechobee, and restore isolated wetlands in the watershed.

This public meeting is being held in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), with the sole purpose of soliciting input on the project, such as the project area, constraints, and management measures, as it enters into its preliminary planning stage.

Input received during this meeting will be used in the development of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement report. This report will be included as part of the Project Implementation Report that, once completed and approved, will be submitted to Congress for authorization and appropriations.

Comments are currently being accepted on the project through July 28, 2016.

[mappress mapid=”22730″]