Florida’s Big Dig

During this multi-year, multimillion dollar project, Congress authorized the Corps of Engineers (“the Corps”) to design and build a number of different kinds of structures to shore-up the Herbert Hoover Dike (“HHD”) surrounding Lake Okeechobee  (“O”) to insure against catastrophic failure.

In 1928, A hurricane with winds estimated at 145 mph struck the Lake O area.  The crude practically handmade levees were thought sufficient to withstand hurricane winds.  Instead, a breach occurred in the southern part of the levee system, flooding several hundred square miles of land, some twenty to thirty feet high and sending 2,500 farm workers to their deaths.  Crops from farming were a total loss.

As a result of another, mostly wet, hurricane in 1947, Congress created the Central and Southern Flood Control District (“C&SFCD”)  authorizing the Corps to construct a network of canals, ditches, levees, and water control devices. For the next several decades the Corps would create a patchwork of canals, levees, and water control devices intended to reduce flooding during wet seasons and store sufficient water during the dry seasons.  Eventually, Congress would establish the South Florida Water Management District to assume the authorities of the (“C&SFCD”)

The current Congressional appropriation led to the Corps’ award-winning design and construction of Water Control Device No. 11, costing millions of dollars depicted above.

You must view the following video.  It explains in simple terms why the River of Grass and Lake Okeechobee are polluted.

The sugar companies have ruined the basis of our water supply now and in the future by fertilizing thousands of acres of sugar cane to create greater yields and —-greater profits at our expense.  Cat tails and other flora incompatible with the ecology of the Everglades have ruined the largest source of our drinking water.

The term G.S.V.D. means Geodetic Survey Vertical Datum of 1929.  Before 1929, all maps were prepared with elevations based on “mean Sea Level Datum of 1929.” In the 1970’s, the name was changed to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929. One of the reasons for the name change was that it was found that the sea is actually not level.Jul 26, 2013.

The Corps of Engineers (“the Corps). has primary responsibility for insuring that the levels of Lake Okeechobee (“O”) remain at the proper heights dependintg on whether weather forecasting calls for dry or wet weather.  In dry seasons, the Corps prepares for the lowering of the levels in Lake O, often drawing down on several reservoirs retaining some lake water for such purpose.  In wet seasons, the Corps

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may need to decrease the probability of the water level rising to an elevation that could threaten the stability of the Herbert Hoover Dike. The lake’s water level can rise up to six times faster than water can be discharged. The Corps strives to maintain Lake Okeechobee’s water level between 12.5 feet and 15.5 feet NGVD. By initially prescribing low-volume releases, the regulation schedule reduces the frequency of larger releases that have greater impact on receiving water bodies. However, if inflows and levels continue to increase, larger releases are required. The Corps continuously monitors the effects of direct rainfall and any releases on the primary waterways and the receiving estuaries. The Corps confers with its partner agencies and stakeholders to modify releases to help minimize impacts to waterway communities and coastal waters.

What Does the Term G.S.V.D. Mean in determining the levels of  Lake Okeechobee?

The term G.S.V.D. means Geodetic Survey Vertical Datum of 1929. Before 1929, all maps were prepared with elevations based on “mean Sea Level Datum of 1929.” In the 1970’s, the name was changed to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929. One of the reasons for the name change was that it was found that the sea is actually not level.Jul 26, 2013.