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Construction to Begin Under Scott Everglades Plan


August 7, 2013 | WMFE - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has issued its first construction permit under Gov. Rick Scott's $880 million dollar plan to clean up the Everglades. A new reservoir will be built south of Lake Okeechobee.

The state aims to start construction on the 15,000-acre reservoir in October.

Audubon of Florida's Charles Lee says the goal is to reduce pressure on stormwater treatment areas.

The treatment areas contain aquatic plants to cleanse water of damaging phosphorus before it flows to protected areas of the Everglades.

Lee says the treatment areas don't work well when they're flooded with too much water.

"Instead of putting out low numbers of phosphorus, down around 15 or so parts per billion, which is what they're capable of when you have a balanced system. When you get too much water in there it'll run up to 40 or 50 parts per billion in a hurry."

Lee says the new reservoir will help, but it won't do much for troubled areas in the northern and central Everglades, which reach as far north as Kissimmee. 

He says more water storage is needed north of Lake Okeechobee.

The governor's Everglades plan settles two decades of litigation over the region's water quality.

The reservoir is expected to be complete by the end of 2014.   

 

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