Gov. DeSantis on Hand for Ribbon Cutting of First Lake Okeechobee Treatment Cell
- CBS News Miami
- Jan 25, 2024
- 1 min read
Updated: Jan 6
CBS News Miami, January 25, 2024
It was a ribbon cutting, decades in the making.
On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis along with members of the South Florida Water Management District unveiled the stormwater treatment area considered the crown jewel of Everglades restoration.
"Why we are here is to get the water right in the Everglades," said SFWMD Chairman Chauncey Goss.
Getting it right means cleaning billions of gallons of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee. The pollution is largely from farming runoff. The dirty water is filtered through a maze of plants within the stormwater treatment area.
The treatment area is miles inward from US 27 and lies due south of Lake Okeechobee.
The treatment area will eventually have three cells to clean the water.
The polluted water has contributed to devastating algae blooms in adjacent communities that threatened Florida's tourism industry and economy.
The clean water will travel South through the Everglades National Park and end up in Florida Bay, saving the delicate ecosystem and our drinking water supply because Everglades water recharges the aquifer.
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