FLORIDA SEEKS INPUT ON NORTHERN EVERGLADES RESTORATION

Florida state scientists and engineers released a draft technical plan Nov. 16 to protect and restore the Lake Okeechobee watershed and improve the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie watersheds, together known as the Northern Everglades. The "Draft Lake Okeechobee Watershed Construction Project Phase II Technical Plan,” developed by three state agencies, identifies projects to improve the health of the Northern Everglades, along with agricultural and urban Best Management Practices needed to achieve water quality targets for the lake. It also addresses projects for increasing water storage north of Lake Okeechobee. The plan suggests implementing improved agricultural management practices on more than 1.3 million acres of farmland and finalizing regulations that will reduce the impacts of development on water quality and flow. The plan is required by the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist. Two public meetings are scheduled where a summary of the plan will be presented, followed by an opportunity for public comment. Those will be held Nov. 27, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Okeechobee Civic Center, 1750 Highway 98 North, Okeechobee, and Nov. 28, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Clewiston Recreation Department, 110 W. Osceola Ave., Clewiston. To review the technical plan or for more information on Everglades restoration, visit http://my.sfwmd.gov/northerneverglades

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