EDC endorses Moore Haven Canal dredging resolution

 

 

The Glades Council Economic Development Council, Inc. board of directors unanimously approved a resolution at their December meeting endorsing a project to dredge the Moore Haven Canal, to improve access to Lake Okeechobee for fisherman and to create new ecotourism opportunities in Moore Haven.

 

According to EDC executive director Tracy Whirls who drafted the resolution at the request of EDC director and County Commissioner Russell Echols, since the Moore Haven Canal was dredged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1915 to barge cement from the area known as the Monkey Box on Lake Okeechobee to the construction site of the original Moore Haven locks on the Caloosahatchee River, near downtown Moore Haven, the Moore Haven Canal has been a navigable waterway.

 

“Because it has not been well maintained, the narrow width and shallow depth have created unsafe conditions for boat traffic operating on this navigable waterway,” Ms. Whirls said. “Access to Lake Okeechobee via the Moore Haven Canal is critical to the economic well being of the City of Moore Haven and Glades County, which relies heavily on commerce created by fishermen.”

 

In a statement issued to State Senator Dave Aronberg’s office, Commissioner Echols and Moore Haven Mayor Bret Whiddon told the Senator, who will chair the legislature’s subcommittee on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program, the current condition of the Moore Haven Canal is having a devastating impact on economic development among bait shops, motels, restaurants and other businesses  in Moore Haven because boats cannot gain direct  access to Lake Okeechobee, making launching from Moore Haven unfeasible.

 

“The canal has been allowed to silt up and become impassable with vegetation,” Commissioner Echols said. “To make matters worse, a cable is periodically placed  across the  Rim Canal at the C-5  structure going to Sportsman’s Village to prevent floating vegetation from entering the locks. Consequently, it blocks access to the western (Glades County) area of the Lake.”

 

The Glades County Commission in October 2005, approved a resolution asking that the state and federal authorities put pressure on the Corps of Engineers to dredge and widen the canal, as they were the original creators of the canal when it was dredged in 1915 to expedite the construction of the Moore Haven locks.

 

“The Glades County Commission and Moore Haven City Council want to see Lake access maintained,” Ms. Whirls said. “To see this project through to fruition, their respective boards have assigned Commissioner Russell Echols and Mayor Bret Whidden to spearhead this project.”

 

Beyond dredging the canal however, leaders want to use the dredged materials to create a new trailhead into the lake.

 

“The condition of the canal creates a unique opportunity,” Commissioner Echols said. “Dredged material could be placed on pre-existing spoil islands in Moonshine Bay, and the new area could be improved to form a walk way or bike path which would allow visitors to access  a viewpoint 7 miles into the Lake. Nobody has that availability to view Lake Okeechobee’s unique  environment.. It might also be possible to eventually place an observation tower or other recreational facility on the new island.”

 

Audubon of SW Florida President Pete Quasius has informally endorsed the concept, which has been submitted to engineers for conceptual drawings to be drafted.