Sunshine Sentinel

The South Florida Water Management District has broken ground on an underground seepage wall aimed at reducing flooding in an 8.5-square-mile area of the Las Palmas Community in South Florida. 

The ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony was held Aug. 20. Once completed, the underground wall will help keep water inside Everglades National Park and help with Everglades restoration by directing water to flow south, according to a press release from the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). 

"From day one, I made Everglades restoration & the protection of water resources a top priority & we have secured record investments for these efforts," DeSantis wrote in an Aug. 20 tweet. "This groundbreaking further demonstrates our commitment to moving projects forward to send water south."

The restoration project includes building a seepage wall that will be more than two miles long, 63 feet deep and 26 inches wide, according to an article by CBS Miami. It's projected to be completed in April of 2022. 

Seepage walls limit the flow of water below ground which in turn leads to flooding above ground, according to the press release.

DeSantis has called for $2.5 billion in investments for Everglades restoration over a four-year period, which is a $1 billion more than the four years prior, according to the release.