Wenger 72944 Especificações descarregar pdf (Página 110)

Section 2 Existing Conditions/Affected Environment

EAA Storage Reservoirs Revised Draft PIR and EIS February 2006

2-46

2.16 LAND USE

2.16.1 Land Use in the EAA

The EAA is situated to the south of Lake Okeechobee within portions of Palm

Beach and Hendry Counties. Bordering the EAA to the south and east are

WCA-1 (otherwise known as the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National

Wildlife Refuge), WCA-2, and WCA-3. The EAA encompasses an area of

620,797 acres. Included in the EAA are the Rotenberger and Holey Land WMAs

(approximately 25,000 acres and 35,500 acres, respectively) and six STAs

(totaling approximately 36,400 acres).

The FWC land cover data is presented more fully in the previous Plant

Communities section. Currently, land in the EAA is primarily in agricultural

production, with sugarcane being the primary crop. Secondary agricultural uses

include vegetables, rice, sod, and improved pasture. The dominant land use in

the EAA, based on the FWC land cover data, is sugarcane, which utilizes 68% of

the land area. Bare Soil/Clearcut covers almost 12% of the remaining land area

and sawgrass marsh another 6.5%. No other land cover classes contain more

than 3% of the land area.

The EAA began agricultural production in the early 20th century. However, it

was not until the first dredging of Lake Okeechobee in 1919, the opening of the

Palm Beach Canal, and the freeze of February 3, 1917, that farming emerged as

an important economic activity in the area. The initial draining of the rich

“muck” soils created opportunities for vegetable production.

Most of the land was owned by either the State of Florida or the Southern Land

and Timber Company. Initially, farmers were allowed to farm the land without

purchasing the property or paying rent. This resulted in the development of

agricultural settlements along the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee. These

settlements evolved into the three municipalities of Pahokee, Belle Glade, and

South Bay, with incorporations beginning as early as 1922.

A hurricane that battered the area in September 1928 had far-reaching impacts

on the area’s land use. The hurricane’s death toll of over 1,800 persons and

extensive physical damage, caused by wind-driven waters of Lake Okeechobee

overflowing into populated areas, led to the construction of the Herbert Hoover

Dike around Lake Okeechobee to control future flooding.

After construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike, farming activities significantly

increased. The EAA was formally created in the 1940s when one-half of the

Everglades Economic Region, consisting of 1.6 million acres, was drained for

agriculture and urban development.

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Wenger 72944 Especificações Página 110