http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=10988892
HENDRY
COUNTY: The fight to control fresh water releases into our estuaries hit a snag.
Officials say that means the C-43 construction project that should be nearly
complete, hasn't even started.
Experts
in Hendry say it's another sign of the cruddy economy.
Construction
plans on a water reservoir are set to go, test cells have been built, but there
is no money to move further.
The
reservoir is meant to monitor the amount of fresh water released into the
Caloosahatchee.
"The
Caloosahatchee estuary is like a mixing bowl, it's where fresh water comes in
and saltwater comes in and the two mix,"
said C-43 Project Manager Janet Starnes.
Too
much saltwater kills wildlife and too much freshwater creates algae. A set of
test cells were built to find a perfect combination - which they did. But since
then, they've sat unused.
Building
the reservoir will cost another $533-million and for the most part, it is money
that South Florida Water Management does not have. The breakdown of required
costs is as follows:
-
$73-million needed for non-construction costs, including planning, engineering and
design
-
$95-million for
land
-$364
million for construction of the reservoir
Officials we
spoke to say most of that money will come from your taxes. "In order to have
a regional fix, you have to have a means of paying for it.
And
in that case, the best way of paying for it regionally is your taxdollars," said Starnes.
Tommy
Strowd, Assistant Executive Director with South Florida Water
Management,
says the project is
definitely worth the cost.
"From
a water supply standpoint and a water quality standpoint, we think
there will be significant benefits - well
worth the taxpayers' investment," he said.
Another
benefit of the
project is that it would help to keep our beaches pristine.
If
and when
construction begins, the reservoir will take three years to build. So why not start
building it now with the funds that are already available?
Starnes
answered that question by saying, "We need to make sure that we do it right and
that all the funds are available at the time we start the project. The economy
will rebound; it's just a matter of time." Strowd said one upside to the construction delays is that
the project will actually cost
taxpayers less money than it would have a
couple years ago, when constructionshould have
been done. He said that's because everything, from labor to
gas, is more affordable right now.