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Decades After a Florida Canal Project Was Abandoned, Advocates Are Trying to Reunite 3 Rivers
The bill had strong bipartisan support and aimed to reverse decades of environmental damage by gradually opening the dam to restore springs and wildlife habitat.
- Last week, Florida lawmakers failed to pass a $70 million bill to restore the Ocklawaha River after the session ended, despite the measure passing the Florida House.
- Because the dam is aging, supporters highlighted safety risks and ecological restoration as environmental advocates pushed to open the Kirkpatrick Dam to reunite the Ocklawaha and St. Johns rivers and prevent harm to nearby homes.
- During the recent drawdown, thousands of drowned tree trunks appeared across about 7,200 acres and 20 springs were submerged in Rodman Reservoir.
- Advocates said they plan to regroup and may try again next year, while angling groups warn of economic harm, according to Putnam County Commissioner Joshua Alexander.
- Longstanding restoration efforts frame the Ocklawaha fight within regional water and ecosystem priorities, with supporters citing Everglades restoration and Kissimmee River projects and Steve Miller, president of Save Rodman Reservoir, noting the reservoir's role in reducing nutrients and supporting regional water supply amid population growth.
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24 Articles
24 Articles
Associated Press News+16 Reposted by 16 other sources
Decades after a Florida canal project was abandoned, advocates are trying to reunite 3 rivers
Environmentalists want to permanently open a dam built for a canal that was supposed to cut through the middle of Florida from the Atlantic to the Gulf.
·United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources24
Leaning Left8Leaning Right1Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Center
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
57% Center
L 38%
C 57%
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