Posted on September 6, 2016
By Alex Hagan, WPTV
The Army Corps of Engineers announced its finalized a plan to finish repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike that surround Lake Okeechobee.
The Corps says they its moving as fast as they can to fix the dike.
“We don’t want anyone hurt,” says Mary Ann Martin in Clewiston.
Martin is a business owner and always has her eye on the dike outside her marina.
“If we get a couple of feet of water in here it could be a real disaster with the storm surge coming across the lake,” says Martin.
The Corps announced they finally have a plan to finish their work. This would ensure Martin’s safety and also prevent any impact to coastal estuaries.
“Think it needs to be a priority and it needs to be a priority and it needs to be moved as quickly as possible.”
Clewiston city commissioner Mali Gardner saw a date on the Corps report that doesn’t sit right. A completion date of at least 2025.
“As far as resources, as far as money, as far as manpower, it needs to be placed on fixing the Herbert Hoover Dike,” says Gardner.
A spokesperson with the Corps says today is a huge step forward, but it’s a project that takes time.
“Very large structure that we’re working on. It took us 6 years to install the 22 miles of cut-off wall and it’s going to take a little bit of time to install 35 miles of additional cut-off wall,” says John Campbell with the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Completion of the dike could provide flexibility in how the Corps manages lake levels.
Source: WPTV
