SOUTH BAY — The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) reached another milestone on Aug. 28 in the ongoing effort to expedite the EAA Reservoir Project. Blasting began on the project site for the canals needed to deliver water into the 6,500-acre Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) component of the project. This important Everglades restoration project reduces harmful discharges to the northern estuaries from Lake Okeechobee and sends more clean water south to Everglades National Park and towards Florida Bay.

SFWMD expedited construction of this project site and began construction earlier this year.

“With the help of 4,000 pounds of explosives today, we took another major step to reduce harmful estuary discharges to our estuaries and get more clean water in the Everglades,” said SFWMD Chairman Chauncey Goss. “Our economy and our way of life in Florida depends on clean water. With the leadership of Gov. DeSantis and support from the Florida Legislature, SFWMD continues to advance one of the most important Everglades projects of the decade.”

The test blasts conducted Friday are part of the construction of the seepage canals and intake/outflow canals necessary for the EAA Reservoir Project’s STA to clean water. The blasts displaced 10,000 cubic yards of limestone to start building the canals. Once completed the canal will be able to move 3,000 cubic feet per second of water into the STA for cleaning so it can be moved south to the Everglades. To watch the video of the initial test blasts, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdRn46gUdKU&feature=youtu.be.

The EAA Reservoir Project is a joint Everglades restoration effort between SFWMD and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). SFWMD is building the water-cleansing STA, which will be complete in 2023. The USACE will build the 10,000-acre storage reservoir, which has an estimated completion date of 2028.