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Officials Hope Canal Project Improves Florida Bay

FLORIDA CITY (CBSMiami/AP) — There's a major move Friday to improve the health of the ailing Florida Bay.

The South Florida Water Management District is officially dedicating the so-called C-111 Spreader Canal Friday as part of a long-awaited Everglades restoration project.

The project plugs an existing canal and pumps 290 million gallons of water each day to build a kind of wall of water at the eastern edge of the Everglades National Park.

Officials say the barrier will keep freshwater from seeping into urban areas. Instead, it will flow southwest through the park into Florida Bay, where high salinity levels threaten marine life.

The project falls under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan that Congress approved in 2000.

Meanwhile, Everglades activists, elected officials and business leaders are meeting in Coral Gables to discuss state and federal restoration projects.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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