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 WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - State water and wildlife managers are taking advantage of an unprecedented drought by removing life-choking muck along Lake Okeechobee's shoreline.
The 500,000 cubic yards of rotted, dead plant life and sediment — enough to fill Dolphin Stadium from the field to its highest seat — will be trucked from the lake starting Thursday. Its removal over several months will return the bottom of the lake along its southwest shoreline to a more natural sandy base and create clearer water and better habitat for plants and wildlife.
Lake Okeechobee is a backup drinking water source for millions in South Florida and the lifeblood of the Everglades. It has dropped to a near-record low after a months-long drought experts say is the worst the region has ever seen.
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