Land developers in the 1960s built a grid of roads and dug miles of canals to make way for houses that would never be built. The efforts in Picayune, part of the larger Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, will restore the Everglades back into the “river of grass.”
The project includes removing roads and logging trams, plugging the canals and operating the pump stations all designed to restore water flows close to what they were before development.
Normally, the work in Picayune was done one project after the other. But during a Big Cypress Basin Board meeting in 2019, newly appointed chairwoman Charlette Roman asked the Corps to think differently.
Everglades restoration efforts progress in Picayune Strand State Forest naplesnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from naplesnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Proposed state legislation to modify the board overseeing the Big Cypress Basin is drawing concern from Collier County officials and local environmental groups while some Lee County officials and southern municipalities hope it passes.
State Sen. Ray Rodrigues (R-Estero) introduced the bill in late December. It suggests expanding the authority of the Collier-focused basin board into Lee County by July 1.
The bill proposes ensuring taxes collected within the Big Cypress Basin be used for projects and flood control operations and maintenance within the counties in which they were collected.”
Rodrigues was unavailable for comment.
At its most recent meeting on Feb. 25, the basin board discussed the bill and heard from South Florida Water Management District staff on potential budget effects the bill’s passage would have.
State bill to expand Big Cypress Basin administration draws concerns naplesnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from naplesnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.