Photo By Mark Rankin | Clewiston, Fla. – Jan.25, 2023 --The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville...... read more read more
Clewiston, Fla. – Jan.25, 2023 --The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District celebrated the substantial completion of construction for the Herbert Hoover Restoration Project around Lake Okeechobee.
The Herbert Hoover Dike is a 143-mile earthen dam that surrounds Lake Okeechobee, at the heart of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades System. Lake Okeechobee spans 730 square miles, and the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounds nearly the entire lake as a flood control measure. It’s been undergoing a massive rehabilitation project since 2005.
“We are finally here, and it feels good,” said Col. James Booth, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District Commander.
Booth told the crowd that the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrates the improved resiliency of the dike and a safer future for the surrounding communities.
“This is a great project that not only impacts the community, but influences the state and nation,” said Michael L. Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works).
DIKE HISTORY
In the late 1920s, flooding from hurricanes killed thousands of people living in communities around the lake. As a result, Congress authorized the Corps to construct a series of levees. In the 1930s, the Corps built 68 miles of levee on the south shore of the lake, and an additional 16 miles of levee near the city of Okeechobee on the North. Following another hurricane in 1947 that left much of South Florida under water for weeks, Congress authorized a project that raised and widened the existing levees. Congress also authorized the Corps to build an additional 59 miles of levee, bringing the dike to the 143-mile footprint that it has today. In 1960, the series of levees was renamed the Herbert Hoover Dike. The dike was built with gravel, rock, limestone, sand and shell. These natural materials allow water to seep through the embankment. As the water levels in the lake increase, the seepage can lead to internal erosion. Without intervention, the movement of material within the dike could cause the dike to fail, putting thousands of people in harm’s way.
REHABILITATION
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Corps observed issues at the dike during high water events in Lake Okeechobee. These issues included movement of dike material, such as sloughing, the development of sinkholes, and other erosion. The Corps dealt with issues immediately to keep the dike from failing, and a series of studies was undertaken on various sections of the dike. Based on the results of those studies, the Corps began rehabilitation of the dike. A Dam Safety Modification Study was completed in 2016 that identified all remaining fixes needed to reduce risks around Herbert Hoover Dike.
One of the major components of the rehabilitation was the construction of, 56.2 miles of seepage barrier (known as a partial penetrating cutoff wall), with 52.1 miles between Port Mayaca to west of Moore Haven on the south side of the lake and 4.1 miles in the Lakeport area.
The Corps replaced 28 water control structures through Herbert Hoover Dike. These structures (also known as “culverts”) posed a failure risk due to loss of embankment material into and along them. They also removed or filled in four additional water control structures. These culverts were no longer needed.
The final piece of the rehabilitation including armoring embankments adjacent to Structure S-71, Structure S-72, and the Harney Pond Canal State Road 78 Bridge. Placement of armoring at these locations reduces the risk of dike failure due to storm surge from a tropical system or from over-washing or over-topping events.
COST/SCHEDULE
The Corps estimates the rehabilitation effort, which is completing three years ahead of schedule, will be under the estimated $1.8 billion. The Corps anticipates completion of the final 130 feet of risk reduction measures in early 2023. The HHD project is fully funded to completion with the State of Florida's $100 million contribution and inclusion in the Supplemental Long-Term Disaster Recovery Investment Plan.
“Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, who was the co-chairman and co-founder of the Everglades Caucus, remains committed, along with national and local officials, to ensuring that projects like the HHD are adequately funded and completed” said Annette Hernandez, Director of Outreach for Representative Mario Diaz-Balart.
The credit for this unprecedented success rightly belongs to the countless hard-working men and women in the Army Corps of Engineers and the federal, tribal, state, and local leaders, as well as the numerous nonprofit organizations that provided guidance, insight, and dialogue, all in the name of seeing Central and South Florida thrive and flourish.
“It’s always rewarding when you can work with engaged, knowledgeable and constructive leaders,” said Mr. Michael Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District on the district’s website at www.saj.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JacksonvilleDistrict, Twitter at www.twitter.com/JaxStrong, and Instagram at www.instagram.com/jacksonvilledistrict.
| Date Taken: | 01.25.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.25.2023 22:35 |
| Story ID: | 437213 |
| Location: | CLEWISTON, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | LABELLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | MIAMI, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | SOUTH BAY, FLORIDA, US |
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