Engineers Corps October 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The purpose of the project is to reconstruct and rehabilitate Reach 1 of the Herbert Hoover Dike to prevent catastrophic failure of the system to retain the waters of Lake Okeechobee. On July 8, 2005, the Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) issued a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) for the Major Rehabilitation actions proposed for Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD), Reach One. Herbert Hoover Dike is the levee that completely surrounds Lake Okeechobee. On September 23, 2005, a Record of Decision was signed adopting the preferred alternative as the Selected Plan for Reach One. As plans and specifications were developed for Reach 1, it became apparent that the cut-off wall with seepage berm alternative would not work for all of Reach 1. The alternative for Reach 1 will be a combination of one or more of the following features dependent on the geology and adjacent land factors with the cut-off wall: Seepage Berm, Relief Trench, Soil Replacement Wedge, Relief Wells, Drainage Feature and Sand Columns. Reach 1 of the HHD extends for approximately 22.5 miles within Martin and Palm Beach Counties, from the St. Lucie Canal at Port Mayaca, south to the Hillsboro Canal at Belle Glade, FL. This study is a cooperative effort between the Corps and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).

The Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District have developed the six guidance memoranda required by the programmatic regulations for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan for approval by the Secretary of the Army. The public is invited to review and comment on the revised final draft of the guidance memoranda prepared by the Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District.