KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Engineers are finally embarking on a plan to study, and eventually eliminate, potential obstacles to water flowing through the Shingle Creek basin, more than two years after Ian devastated communities in the area.
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Osceola County was largely plunged underwater when the creek overflowed. The initial flash flooding turned into a slow-moving crisis as the water made its way downstream toward East Lake Toho.
The $3 million, three-year study is being paid for in part by federal funding, which is where county leaders said the holdup was.
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“A process with the federal government takes a long time, it doesn’t mean that we weren’t there and talking to them,” Chairwoman Cheryl Grieb said.
The hope – long down the line – is that the federal government will chip in to address the issues its engineers eventually point out.
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“Until we go through this process, we won’t get any larger funds because some of these projects are very expensive,” Grieb explained, mentioning land purchases as an example. “That’s not something that we can necessarily do on our own.”
The vote to fund the study came days after a separate funding announcement was made to clear northern Lake Toho of invasive plants that slow down the flow of water.
That work is expected to begin soon.
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