South Florida Water Management District details Lake Okeechobee storage, treatment and infrastructure plans

Drew Bartlett, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, told the Central Florida Regional Planning Council on its October meeting in Okeechobee that the district is pursuing a mix of large reservoirs, underground storage, wetland treatment areas and in‑lake restoration to reduce discharges from Lake Okeechobee and improve regional water supplies.

Bartlett said the district has congressional authorization to build a large reservoir north of Lake Okeechobee and is pursuing multiple storage projects around the lake. He described a recently completed west‑coast reservoir with a roughly 10,000‑acre footprint that cost about $1 billion, and the Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir (EAA reservoir) on the south side of the lake, which he said carries a price tag “over $3,000,000,000.” “These are all, really expensive infrastructure, but that’s how you improve water management in South Florida,” Bartlett said.

Why it matters: Storage and treatment capacity around Lake Okeechobee affect whether water must be discharged east or west to estuaries, with consequences for algal blooms, fisheries, tourism and local water supplies. Bartlett said the district’s approach pairs regional storage and conveyance with wetland treatment areas to capture and reduce nutrient loading before it reaches the lake or estuaries.

Key elements Bartlett described include: - Underground aquifer storage and recovery concepts north of the lake: each envisioned site would include a roughly 50‑million‑gallons‑per‑day (50 mgd) treatment plant and multiple wells to store reclaimed water for later use. Bartlett said a cluster of such systems could hold roughly “a half a foot of water off of Lake Okeechobee” in dry conditions. - Large above‑ground reservoirs: the district has congressional authorization (2024) for a 10,000‑acre reservoir north of the lake and is constructing other 10,000‑acre reservoirs connected by canals; the West Coast reservoir near LaBelle was highlighted as an example that can be pumped quickly for flood control and later used to nourish estuaries in dry seasons. - Wetland treatment areas (stormwater treatment areas, or STAs): the district operates several STAs — including three in Okeechobee County — that treat nutrient‑rich flows before they reach the lake; the agency is designing an additional large treatment system to capture highly polluted canal flows. - In‑lake restoration: the district has trialed turbidity curtains and planting submerged aquatic vegetation; Bartlett said crews planted roughly 17,000 plants this year as part of efforts to restore habitat and water‑cleaning vegetation. The district’s long‑range target for submerged aquatic vegetation in Lake Okeechobee is about 100,000 acres. - Legacy nutrient remediation: the district has a five‑year partnership with the owners of Basinger Dairy to sample soils and test natural remediation methods to remove legacy phosphorus in former dairy lands. - Local infrastructure and operations: Bartlett announced a new Okeechobee field station sited on U.S. 441 north of town that will include permitting offices, a water‑quality laboratory, space for about 125 staff, and a backup operations center for flood‑control communications. He said many existing flood‑control structures and lock systems are approaching the end of their design life and will require large capital projects.

The district’s comments to the council emphasized the scale of the work and cost. Bartlett said the EAA reservoir’s federal authorization and a governor‑signed agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers aim to expedite construction to a 2029 finish for parts of the program. He also described asset‑management issues: many canal gates, pump stations and other structures were built in the 1960s and have “design lives” now exceeded; individual replacement projects can exceed $100 million.

Council members asked about whether new reservoirs could be operated to raise lake levels during dry periods and about recreational access to district lands. Bartlett said storage north of the lake is specifically intended to be available to augment the lake in dry seasons and that many district lands and constructed wetlands are open to nonmotorized recreation.

Ending: Bartlett closed by noting the district’s restoration emphasis and the long‑term, expensive nature of the work needed to balance flood control, water supply and ecosystem restoration. He offered to take further questions and to work with county and municipal partners on local projects.