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SCCF Supports Northern Lake Okeechobee Reservoir
SCCF joined the National Audubon Society, Audubon Florida, the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Wildlife Federation, the Everglades Foundation, Florida Oceanographic Society, Everglades Law Center, and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in submitting public comments supporting the progression of the Lake Okeechobee Component A Storage Reservoir (LOCAR).
“The Lake Okeechobee Component A Reservoir (LOCAR) is the largest Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan storage feature north of the Lake, representing a major advancement toward meeting the 200,000-acre-foot storage goals for the area,” the letter states. “When complete, this project will increase storage and treatment capacity north of the Lake – a need underscored by high Lake levels and recent releases to the coastal estuaries.”
“By storing more water during the wetter months and releasing it when it is dry, this project will help stabilize the system and hopefully prevent some of the damaging releases,” said SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis.
With the final feasibility study for LOCAR complete, the next step will be to move to the construction phase.