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Water Releases Help Okeechobee Dike
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Published: September 7, 2008
WEST PALM BEACH - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun releasing water from Lake Okeechobee after record-breaking rainfall and ahead of the storms that are looming in the Atlantic Ocean.
The corps says the releases are needed to relieve pressure on a 70-year-old earthen dike and protect sensitive vegetation.
Since Tropical Storm Fay passed through the state last month, the lake had risen more than 3 feet to about 14.7 feet.
The corps plans to release more than 36 billion gallons of water, enough to fill more than 60,000 Olympic size swimming pools. The water will flow through estuaries and out to sea.
Environmentalists oppose the releases, saying the polluted water harms the estuaries.
The Associated Press
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