Muck Removal in Lake Okeechobee Tops 1.9 Million Cubic Yards

~2,700 trees planted to restore native habitats in the Big Lake ~

West Palm Beach, FL – In only six weeks, more than 1.9 million cubic yards of phosphorus-rich muck were scraped and trucked off Lake Okeechobee’s dried-out shoreline, exposed for two months by this year’s drought. In addition, 1,000 native pond apple and cypress trees were planted on the rim canal and spoil islands near Clewiston, and 1,725 trees were planted near Moore Haven. By adding native trees where they once grew in abundance and cleaning off the lake’s naturally sandy bottom, critical aquatic habitats will be restored when water levels return to normal.

“Lake Okeechobee is going to be healthier as a result of this work,” said Carol Ann Wehle, Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District. “Although the drought and current water shortage have brought many difficult challenges, they also provided a real opportunity for environmental restoration in the lake.”

Muck removal progress

Muck removal is complete at two large sites around the perimeter of the southeast United States’ largest lake, an achievement made possible by the prolonged dry conditions. Work is concluding at several remaining sites, as summer rains soaking the muck are slowing the work and bringing the project to a close.

A total of 134 heavy-equipment vehicles have been dedicated to muck removal, including 25 bulldozers, 56 off-road dump trucks and 23 backhoes. Along the lake’s northwest shoreline, where a total of five large sites are being cleared, the following progress has been made to date:

• Eagle Bay Marsh: 130,000 cubic yards removed; $500,000 invested
• Northwest Marsh: 850,000 cubic yards removed; $1.9 million invested
• Harney Pond/Horse Island: 400,000 cubic yards removed; $2.2 million invested
• Eagle Bay Island: 350,000 cubic yards removed; $1.8 million invested
• Fisheating bay: 180,000 cubic yards removed; $300,000 invested

Once the muck is removed and lake levels return to normal, native plants such as tape grass, spike rush, bulrush and Kissimmee grass should rapidly grow and thrive along the sandy shoreline. These vegetated areas are ideal spawning and nursery grounds for sport fish, such as bass and crappie, and are prime habitat for apple snails, the primary food of the snail kite, a federally endangered, native hawk.

Project managers report that some vegetation is already starting to grow at the fishing pier in Okeechobee. About 85 percent of the new growth is desirable native plants that can grow underwater; about 15 percent is undesirable exotics. The native vegetation is expected to survive on moist soil and continued rainfall until the lake rises to normal levels. The exotic grasses are likely to die as they become submerged later this summer.

Tree planting update

Pond apple forests once grew on Lake Okeechobee’s southern shore and interior islands before the trees were cleared a century ago to create cropland. Low water levels in the lake have provided an opportunity to re-establish these trees to help preserve the endangered Okeechobee gourd habitat. Also, by increasing the extent of native trees—particularly pond apple, cypress and willow—wading bird populations will benefit.

Significant restoration progress has taken place on Ritta Island, a spoil island where farming was abandoned in the mid-1970s. During the drought in 2001, trees were planted and a berm removed from the island’s perimeter to enhance natural water flow and restore wetland habitat. With extremely low lake levels during this year’s drought, access to Ritta Island has been impaired.

This summer, tree planting efforts were moved to the spoil islands near Clewiston and along the rim canal, to Moore Haven Marsh and to the spoil islands in Fisheating Bay. Project managers report that 1,000 trees, each 4-8 feet tall, have been planted in the Clewiston area. In the Moore Haven area, 1,725 trees were planted, each 4-6 feet tall, representing a mix of pond cypress, bald cypress, red maple, swamp bay and Dahoon holly.

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