Palm Beach Post
Clean up the numbers on Lake O pollution
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Audubon of Florida took a courageous stand last week when the environmental group complained about flaws in the South Florida Water Management District's report to state legislators on Lake Okeechobee's pollution problems. The district's response, which came through board member Mike Collins, was to accuse environmentalists of generating "insulting" news coverage about the district. Then, the board approved the report 7-0.
Instead, the board should have listened to Audubon's Paul Gray, who monitors Lake Okeechobee issues. Mr. Gray pointed out that the district's report underestimates the amount of phosphorus in the lake. The report doesn't include statistics from 2004, when three hurricanes crossed the lake. Runoff from the storms boosted phosphorus levels to 938 metric tons. The district figured its baseline calculations for the lake's average pollution on measurements made from 1991 to 2000, ignoring the record pollution generated between 2001 and 2005.
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The report, using the district's math, suggests that the state faces a far less challenging cleanup task than the real facts show. The average annual load of polluting phosphorus flowing into the lake is 468 metric tons, according to the district's figures. If the years through 2005 are added, however, the average is 548 metric tons. The district has a goal of reducing phosphorus loads to 140 metric tons by 2015 to restore the lake's health. Phosphorus, the main ingredient in fertilizer, causes excessive growth that chokes the lake.
District officials argue that because they are committed to meeting that 140-ton goal, the hurricane years are unusual and shouldn't be considered. But Mr. Gray correctly points out that the district needs "an accurate accounting" of the cleanup tasks. "Once we get that," he told board members, "we can calculate how much it costs. Then we can figure out a plan to pay for it."
Mr. Gray thus raises another important point, since the district now estimates that cleaning up the lake could cost as much as $1.1 billion, about triple the estimate from three years ago. The cleanup would include creating filter marshes and reservoirs to clean water before it flows into the lake and helping farmers contain runoff laden with manure and fertilizer on their own property, keeping it out of the lake. Underground storage wells to store runoff that otherwise would run into the lake also are a possibility. But without accurate statistics, how can the water district accurately calculate actual cleanup costs?
The water district board claims a commitment to a cleaner Lake Okeechobee. The board claimed a similar commitment to the Everglades in 2003, just before backing a 10-year delay in the cleanup. A real commitment to the lake begins with honest math.
TCPalm Editorial
Editorial: Proposed budget items, legislation would aid Lake O, Everglades, local rivers
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· Read the complete draft of HB 535
February 18, 2007
A spate of water resources issues have been in the news lately. State and federal officials have recently taken steps to fund several projects that would benefit Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades and local estuaries.
GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS
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Advocates for Lake Okeechobee recently received a double dose of bad news.
First, the Herbert Hoover Dike around the lake was named one of the 100 weakest levees in the country in a report released by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Second, the Corps raised its cost estimate for strengthening the dike to a whopping $856 million — almost three times the price tag it cited last year.
But there was some good news, too: President Bush's proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, contains a $55.8 million appropriation designed to help shore-up the ailing dike. It also contains $162 million to continue the mammoth task of restoring the Everglades.
While Bush's budget line for Lake O is a far cry from what's actually needed — and must still pass muster in Congress — it does appear to signal a growing awareness at the federal level to fix a serious problem that puts tens of thousands of Floridians who live near the dike at risk.
CRIST 'CASTS' HIS SUPPORT
The $71 billion state budget proposed by Gov. Charlie Crist contains significant funding for Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers and their estuaries.
The governor proposes doubling the state's commitment to the cleanup and restoration of Lake O from $25 million to $50 million.
In addition, he proposes $40 million for rehabilitation of the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers.
Speaking last weekend at Jupiter Island, Crist said, "I've been hearing a lot about the St. Lucie River and I assume that that affects this area as well. So what we did in the budget, we put in about $40 million to try to clean up the St. Lucie River as well as the Caloosahatchee on the other side, you know, because they both flow out of Lake Okeechobee. And that's very important to me. I like to fish. So I'm going to try and protect the fishing."
AUDUBON REPORT DEAD-ON
A recent report by Audubon of Florida states what many would consider "the obvious": State water managers aren't doing enough to improve water quality in Lake Okeechobee and to restore the Everglades.
Among other things, the report champions the construction of additional water storage areas north of the lake, and chastises the state for failing to meet federal deadlines for phosphorus removal.
The conclusions in the report will come as no surprise to those who've followed the history of water management in South Florida.
But before you dismiss the report as the same old, same old, consider: Sometimes it's helpful to state the obvious — if for no other reasons that to put officials on notice.
State water managers do need to do more for Lake O and the Everglades.
Kudos to the Audubon Society for pointing this out.
EQUAL AID FOR ESTUARIES?
State legislation has been introduced to amend the Lake Okeechobee Protection Program, adding the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers and their estuaries, giving them equal footing for protections, planning and construction with the lake itself.
The amendment says, in part, "The Legislature finds that the volume, timing and water quality of discharges to the estuaries of the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers are the primary causes of adverse impacts and that excess flows affect sea grasses, oysters and other living resources, including fisheries, in both systems."
The House bill, HB 535, was introduced by Trudi Williams, R-Fort Myers, an environmental engineer and chair of the Committee on Environment Protection. The identical Senate legislation, SB 1474, was introduced by Burt L. Saunders, R-Naples, chair of the Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee.
If approved, the amendment could go a long way in the overdue cleanup and protection of the estuaries.
Associated Press
Water managers: Okeechobee clean up could cost $1.1 billion
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Cleaning up pollution in Lake Okeechobee could cost as much as $1.1 billion, about three times more than previous estimates, water management officials estimated.
The South Florida Water Management District board sent the latest version of the plan to the Legislature with a 7-0 vote Thursday. In 2004, officials estimated the project would cost $360 million.
The district is trying to deal with high pollution levels in the lake with a number of different approaches, said Susan Gray, a deputy department director.
The funds could be used to create reservoirs, filter marshes upstream of the lake and possibly dredge some of the bottom of the lake.
Paul Gray, of the environmental organization Audubon of Florida, said it is important for the state to clean up the lake.
"If we don't do this, our lake's going to die and our estuaries are going to die," he said.
Board member Mike Collins said the group is committed to clean up the 730-square-mile body of water and meeting the 140-metric-ton phosphorus limit for the lake. More than 900 metric tons of phosphorus are in the lake now.
"Let's stop moving paper around and doing studies," Collins said. "There's a whole bunch of stuff we know we have to do that we haven't done yet. How about we focus on that?"
February 16, 2007 - 8:35 a.m. EST
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