1:16 P.M. — The first completed stimulus -funded projects in Florida were celebrated in Lehigh Acres this morning.
Officials and guest of the East County Water Control District cut ribbons on two new weirs that will help store water to improve its quality and the district’s ability to control water level in the Orange River and prevent flooding.
“This is the first project funded in Florida by federal stimulus dollars,” district board chairman Neal Horrom told about 40 people gathered at Harns Marsh, a 578-acre water retention area that drains into the Orange River.
The $1.97 million Harns Marsh project included $1.45 million in stimulus loan money funneled through the state Department of Environmental Protect. The district will pay back the loan.
Local officials from Lehigh Acres inspect a new weir at Harns Marsh after a ribbon cutting on Thursday, Feb. 25. The weir gives the East County Water Control District the abiity to control the amount of stormwater held in the marsh to improve its water quality before it is released down the Orange River. (Photos by Don Ruane/news-press.com)
Mike Cook, assistant manager of the East County Water Control District, uses charts to show why a new weir was needed for the district's Harns Marsh during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 25. The weir gives the district the abiity to control the amount of stormwater held in the marsh to improve its water quality before it is released down the Orange River.
