Three construction teams will beef up repair work at Lake Okeechobee’s aging dike in South Florida.

The Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $29 million contract on Wednesday to Hayward Baker of Maryland. A reinforcing wall is being built through the middle of the earthen dike and a supporting berm will be added around the outside. Two other companies were already approved to start work this month.

The 143-mile, 70-year-old Herbert Hoover Dike protects lakeside communities from flooding.

The companies will shore up the most vulnerable section, a 22-mile stretch between Port Mayaca and Belle Glade.

The project is projected to cost more than $800 million and take until 2030.

Summer storms prompted the corps to start dumping lake water out to sea to ease the strain on the dike.

From Staff and Wire Reports
BassOnline.com
888-629-BASS (2277)
www.hawghunter.net
www.bassauthority.com
www.flpeacockbass.com
www.basson-line.com

 Only two months ago at the start of August, Lake Okeechobee was still below the “11 ft above sea level” mark … and at the tail end of its record-setting 511 day streak below that level. The Lake looked like it was rising out of the cellar just like it did in 2001 (when it rose gradually through the summer and crested at 15 ft near the “wet season’s” end in mid November).

That scenario changed when Fay hit and the Lake topped the 15 ft mark by early September in record-setting speed.
Just like that it looked like the Lake “hopped tracks” over into 2004 chart-topping territory.

But those fears were premature … at least for now. Lake stage has crested, and as of yesterday, it officially dropped a notch below 15 ft, down to 14.97.

There are many people with special interest that would like to see the lake reach 16 ft, as anglers, outdoorsmen and true conservationist of the lake. We would love to see the lake stay between 12ft and 14ft, which is also recommended by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission.

The self-interest opinions of where the Okeechobee lake level should be are not what we need, very few of those opinions have any real interest in whether the god gifted natural lake comes back to it’s old form as a world class fishery.

While there’s a stir regarding the sell out of U.S. Sugar and the economic impact that area will face, which is a feasible concern. Just maybe we should for once turn our focus to the lake and ask a couple of difficult questions, “what does it need?, what’s best for the lake?, what is the future?”

The lake has taken abuse for many years, while providing a huge economic impact to one of the largest industry in Florida, “fishing.” The Outdoor recreation industry supports more jobs then Disney World and bring some 5 Billion dollars to our states economy, Lake Okeechobee has always been a big part of that number. This alone deserves our attention, respect and continued support of all parties as it is a Worldwide land mark and a gift for our state. “Let’s start treating it like one!”

Capt Todd
todd@bassonline.com
BassOnline.com
888-629-BASS (2277)

Lake Okeechobee’s water level is at 12.52 feet above sea level on Friday. That is over one foot higher than it was before Tropical Storm Fay crossed the lake.

The South Florida Water Management District said at least 6 inches fell on the lake. And it will continue to rise as stormwater run-off from the Kissimmee River flows into the lake.

The SFWMD Web site, www.sfwmd.gov, indicated Okeechobee could rise to 12.80 feet in the next two weeks. That would be a total of about 1.76 feet as a result of Fay.

The lake was 2 1/2 feet below normal even after the 6 inches of rain fell, but a really good level for the lake.

Enjoying a last day off before school starts, kids used dip nets to scoop up catfish that swam into roadside drainage ditches during the storm, said Phillip Black of the Pioneer Estates neighborhood, off County Road 15A. Not far off, Bobby Hays, 11, Dakota Bond, 11, and Danny Hays, 7, rode skim boards in puddles left by Fay. Lake Okeechobee’s water level has risen half a foot, to 11.8 feet above sea level, and is expected to rise as water flows into the lake from the north.“We all are pretty excited,” about the lake level and the forecast for this winters fishing on Lake Okeechobee, said Lake Okeechobee fishing guide Mark Shepard of Clewiston, Florida. “We’ve had not seen the lake look this good in a couple of seasons. We need this, it is exciting.”

Around Lake Okeechobee, residents cleaned up some fallen tree limbs, fired up generators and patched roofs, after Fay walloped the north and west sides of the big lake as it crossed Florida. Among the highest damage estimates around the lake was on the east side, in Pahokee, where roof damage to city hall and sewer system damage clocked in at $1.5 million.

Flooding forced the closing of State Road 29 between Palmdale and LaBelle. A detour routed motorists around flooded lanes Wednesday along a short section of U.S. 27 south of Palmdale.

Even though water has been flowing hard through the Kissimmee River, weirs and other water-control structures in the river were not damaged by Fay, said Randy Smith, spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District.

No problems with the Herbert Hoover Dike, with flood-control structures around the lake or with lake navigation were found following inspections Wednesday, said Steve Dunham, chief of the South Florida office for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Clewiston.

From Staff and Wire Reports
BassOnline.com
888-629-BASS (2277)
www.hawghunter.net
www.bassauthority.com
www.flpeacockbass.com
www.basson-line.com