Everglades
Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida took a boat tour along the St. Lucie River to see how it's being damaged by Lake Okeechobee water releases and then pledged to support a plan that would focus Everglades restoration on areas north of the lake. Pollutants that flow into Lake Okeechobee from the north eventually wash through the Everglades and into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers, the Legislature wants a plan to stop the problem at its origin.
The plan would include purchasing land north of the lake, creating storage areas that could clean the water before it flows south and working with farmers to reduce the amount of fertilizer and pollutant runoff. The Senate will take it up as one of its first priorities when the annual legislative session begins March 6. Until now, the $10.5 billion federal-state restoration project has focused on areas south of the lake.
High phosphorus levels coming from the lake feed algae blooms. The Army Corps of Engineers controls the lake level with a dike system and releases water into the rivers when the level reaches a certain height. Even without the high phosphorus levels, the fresh water flowing into the estuaries damages oyster beds, sea grass and keeps fish from spawning. Storing water north of the lake may help reduce the need to release water from it.
February 26, 2007 6:45 AM | Category: Watershed