Nine environmental projects totaling $4.25 million have been approved by the Lake Worth Lagoon Partnership Grant Program Selection Committee. The funding was appropriated earlier this year by the Florida Legislature to improve water quality and habitat in the Lake Worth Lagoon and Chain of Lakes estuarine and freshwater systems.
“Protecting and restoring our waterways is so important, and for the past several years this has been one of our top legislative priorities,” said County Commissioner Jeff Koons, who chairs the advisory Artificial Reef & Estuarine Enhancement Committee. “I want to thank our elected state officials for providing this funding, and particularly Senator Jeff Atwater and Representative Mary Brandenburg for their support.”
Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management will conduct the following four approved projects:
- South Cove – restoration of the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront area including filling a deep dredge hole, creation of mangrove islands, mangrove planters, raising the elevation to promote the growth of seagrass, and depositing rock for oyster reef and stabilization;
- John’s Island – placement of 5,000 tons of limestone rock to create a .72-acre oyster reef within a three-acre site off John’s Island in central Lake Worth Lagoon;
- Ibis Isle – capping deep muck sediment deposits to promote seagrass growth over an eight-acre area adjacent to Ibis Isle (Town of Palm Beach);
- Lake Ida Park – enhancement of approximately seven acres within the county-owned park, including excavation of muck and fill to sustain wetlands, installation of natural filtration, removal of exotic species, and replanting with diverse native vegetation to create high-quality habitat.
Palm Beach County Engineering will oversee a fifth project - drainage improvements in the Glen Ridge/Cloud Lake area. The project involves berming of the Stub Canal bank at a higher elevation to reduce flows from the Stub Canal to the C-51 Canal, improving water quality within the watershed and providing fisheries and bird habitat.
The selection committee also okayed $750,000 for stormwater improvements in Boynton Beach along the SE Federal Highway corridor; $50,000 for lake restoration in the Town of Cloud Lake; $1.08 million for infrastructure improvements in the North Westgate neighborhood; and $20,000 for the Riviera Beach Maritime Academy to construct an artificial reef at Kelsey Park in Lake Park. The remainder of the state funding will be used for monitoring and grant administration.
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