FWC conducts Lake Okeechobee organic sediment removal

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will remove 323 acres of cattail, willow and the associated organic sediments, known as muck, from two locations on Lake Okeechobee starting March 2. The projects will be completed during natural low-water conditions using mechanical scraping with excavators, dozers and dump trucks, and will run through June.

One location is a 197-acre historical slough between Pearce Canal and the Kissimmee River. This project connects the previously-completed 2011 Pearce Canal berm removal and 2007 muck removal projects. The second location is a 126-acre historical slough south of Indian Prairie Canal that connects to a 2001 muck removal project. The organic sediment material is approximately 6-12 inches deep, totaling approximately 416,000 cubic yards across both project areas. All material will be removed from the lake and transported to nearby upland disposal sites.

The projects will not affect boating, hunting or fishing within the lake. The project sites will be dry, and recreational access within the sites will not be permitted for the duration of the project due to the presence of heavy equipment.

The lake bottom will be enhanced to provide foraging, spawning and protective habitat for invertebrates, fish, waterfowl and wading bird populations. These projects will also aid in establishing desirable native aquatic plant communities and increase the diversity of beneficial emergent plant species, such as spikerush, lilies, pickerel weed, duck potato, bladderwort and smartweed. Improvements in dissolved oxygen levels, water quality and movement within the shallow marsh are expected, along with reduced nutrient levels.

Management activities, such as ecologically responsible water drawdowns, nuisance plant and organic sediment removal, and prescribed burns, help improve habitat for fish, waterfowl, wading birds and other wildlife populations, while also allowing improved lake access for anglers, boaters and hunters. This management is especially beneficial to the endangered Everglade snail kite, which uses waterbodies throughout the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades ecosystem for foraging, nesting and rearing young.

For more information about the FWC’s aquatic habitat projects, visit MyFWC.com/AquaticHabitat. Details about muck’s causes, corrective actions and the benefits of removal to fish and wildlife can be found in A Beginner's Guide to Water Management—Muck: Causes and Corrective Actions through the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.