There’s a new President in the Florida Senate. Republican Joe Negron of Stuart took over Tuesday and one of his top priorities is ending the discharge of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee that created green slime on the St Lucie River.
Lake O Discharges Photo: Cyndi Lenz
He said this:
“From January 1 2016 thru this morning 225 billion gallons of polluted water have been released from Lake Okeechobee east into the St Lucie river and into our Estuary. 549 Billion gallons of polluted water have been released west out the Caloosahatchee River to southwest Florida. These discharges have left in their wake destroyed estuaries polluted water. In fact, this summer water on the east coast had toxic algae blooms that looked and smelled like putrid waste.
Toxic Algae State of Emergency!
photo:cyndilenz
Imagine this in Florida home to a hundred million visitors. We have signs in the river and the ocean “No swimming allowed.” We have property values declining. Is this really the best we can do in the United States of America in 2o16. Lake Okeechobee rises to 15 1/2 feet with all the technology with all our science with all the brilliance that we have here is our solution: We’re going to send it east and west into communities where millions of people live. We’re going to destroy the sea grass. We’re going to destroy the oyster beds and we’re going to create algae blooms. This is the best we can do. We have no options. I refuse to accept that. I think we can do a lot better than that.” (indeed!)
- Expedite existing projects that will store and send water south of of Lake Okeechobee.
- We must insist that the federal government make the strengthening of the Herbert Hoover Dike.
- Most importantly increase the water storage south of Lake Okeechobee. Some critics will say this is a radical new idea. Please check your history. It’s not. In 2000 part of the CERP plan by Gov Bush was having a reservoir south of the lake. It only makes sense. You have to have somewhere to send the water. The University of Florida water studied that we commissioned in 2014 confirmed that additional south storage is a necessary component to a long term solution. We have been talking about a southern reservoir for 20 years. Time for talk is over. It’s time to act. We can accomplish this goal while at the same safeguarding our agricultural community.
