To Lake Okeechobee from Mar-a-Lago, Trump may see Everglades restoration projects
Tyler TreadwayEn route to an appearance at Lake Okeechobee Friday, President Donald Trump likely will see some of the Everglades restoration projects Florida lawmakers and environmentalists are urging him to increase funding for.
The White House announced Thursday evening the president will tour "the Lake Okeechobee area" aboard the Marine One helicopter and visit the Herbert Hoover Dike and talk about progress on projects on and near the lake around 2 p.m. Friday.
More:Trump to visit Lake Okeechobee to tout progress on projects
No locations or routes were released for security reasons, but the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a "VIP Movement Notification" for Canal Point, on the lake's southeastern shore in northwestern Palm Beach County.
If the president makes the 41-mile trip from his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach to Canal Point by helicopter as expected, he'll be able to look out the window at several Everglades projects, including:
- The L-8 Reservoir, which gathers water from farmland in western Palm Beach County and sends it to Stormwater Treatment Areas 1 East and 1 West
- Those two STAs clean the water as it moves south toward the Everglades
- The EAA reservoir's proposed site, about 20 miles to the southwest but visible if the chopper is high enough. Its goal is to reduce Lake O discharges that cause toxic blue-green algae blooms in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers.
- Central Everglades Planning Project projects, even farther south, designed to remove impediments to sending water south to the Everglades and Florida Bay
- The C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area under construction about 20 miles to the north in western Martin County. When completed in 2020, the project will filter and clean water draining off farmland east of the lake before it moves into the South Fork of the St. Lucie River.
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The C-43 Reservoir, which will store water going to the Caloosahatchee River estuary during wet periods and provide water during the dry season, won't be visible unless the president's helicopter veers over to the west side of Lake O.
For about 20 miles of the trip, the president will be able to see thousands and thousands of acres of sugar cane fields in the Everglades Agricultural Area.
More: Trump's budget has less for Everglades than Florida lawmakers want
The president's proposed federal budget includes $63 million for Everglades projects; both Republican and Democrat members of Florida's congressional delegation have asked him to increase that to $200 million.
More:Florida Democrats blast Trump on Everglades funding ahead of Lake Okeechobee visit
Friday's weather forecast for Canal Point:
- Intervals of clouds and sunshine
- 20 percent chance of rain
- High of 79 degrees
- Winds from 10 to 15 mph out of the northeast