JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded $28.9 million to Bauer Foundation Corp. of Clearwater for rehabilitation work on portions of the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee in Martin and Palm Beach counties.
According to a Corps news release, the construction near the Sand Cut community in northwesternmost Palm Beach County includes a 3.5-mile wall extending from the dike crest and through the foundation to a depth of about 70 feet. The wall is intended to stop "piping," or internal erosion in the dike.
In all, a 22-mile wall is being built from Port Mayaca in Martin County to Belle Glade in Palm Beach County, a stretch considered the most vulnerable of the 143-mile dike. It's expected the Corps will award more job orders in June and August.
Once awarded a job, the contractor must build a 500-foot demonstration panel to prove the technique and finished panel meets rigorous engineering standards. Engineers test the panel prior to, during and after construction.
In 2007, the Corps named the Okeechobee dike among the six dams in the country most in need of repair.
"I'm very happy with the progress we are making with the rehabilitation of Herbert Hoover Dike," Col. Paul Grosskruger, commander of the Corp's Jacksonville district, said in a prepared statement. "Each phase of rehabilitation is a step forward in providing Lake Okeechobee residents with more protection than they had before."
For information about the dike, go to www.saj.usace.army.mil or call (904) 232-1953.
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