West Palm Beach, FL -
The South Florida Water Management District's (SFWMD) Governing Board will hold its Project and Lands Committee meeting on Wednesday. The committee last met in May.
"The discussion that will take place during this workshop is an invaluable part of the public process to effectively manage many of South Florida's water investments,"
said SFWMD Governing Board Vice Chair and Projects and Lands Committee Chair Melanie Peterson
"This meeting gives the Governing Board an ideal forum to exchange crucial information with each other, as well as stakeholders and interested parties, all in an effort to provide valuable guidance to the District's staff."
The committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday, Oct. 10, starting at 2 p.m. at SFWMD Headquarters at 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, 33041. The meeting is open to the public and will also be webcast.
Participants will hear and discuss presentations from staff about the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program and the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project as they relate to state and federal restoration projects impacting Lake Okeechobee.
Created by the Florida Legislature, the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program is a slate of diverse projects and plans aimed at protecting the Lake Okeechobee Watershed, the St. Lucie River Watershed and the Caloosahatchee River Watershed.
The Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project, currently underway, is a planning project called for in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and SFWMD. The goal of the project is to identify opportunities to improve the quantity, timing and distribution of flows into the 730-square-mile lake. The project area, where placement of potential features are being considered, covers a large portion of the Lake Okeechobee Watershed north of the lake. A tentatively selected plan for this planning project, currently under federal review, calls for above ground reservoirs and Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) wells to store water.
The committee will also discuss the status of sales and acquisitions of land by the District this year and the forecast for sales and acquisitions next year.
