I feel compelled to share this--it seems relevant to all watermen that love clean water.  

The Army Corp is releasing 2 - 3 billion gallons of polluted freshwater from Lake O into the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon again.  The pollutants that don't settle in the river make it to the Atlantic--I have seen the effects in the surf zone.  It must be affecting the reefs there.

They are doing this in anticipation of a wetter than usual forecast in the coming months.  I have also read that they are "backpumping" flooded farmland (complete with fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, etc) into Lake O...the same water that is heading for the IRL.

For certain, it has a devastating impact on the sea grasses, oyster beds, and all sea life in the IRL in this area.  

 

This video illustrates the impact.

 

Please spread the word.  

P.s.  If mods feel this should be moved to another category, please feel free.  Thanks!

Everyone who cares about the ocean and ecosystem needs to watch this.
That is a travesty.

Yes. This is bad

Please take a minute to sign this petition and share with anyone you can. It takes 1 minute to complete.

https://www.change.org/p/rick-scott-stop-the-lake-okeechobee-discharges-into-the-st-lucie-river-and-estuaries

PETITION

Edited: 02/12/2016 at 03:09 AM by 2nd Light Forums Moderator

Some interesting links:

Scott stated.

Florida Water Daily.

Army Corp.

LLoyds.

There is no easy solution because of all the various interests. But, it will self correct if it is not resolved soon. 

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Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.

Can someone please help me hyperlink the petition I shared above? It takes 1 minute to complete.

Where should they send the water? Into the everglades? The lake is at alltime levels and if left unchecked could breach the dams and flood tens of thousands of acres, rain rain go away?This is a tough call kill the pristine everglades or kill the ocean

Short term?

They are doing what they have to do.

Long term?

Need to reclaim a few hundred thousand acres of former flood plain south of the lake. We all know that is never going to happen though.

Pristine Everglades? That does not exist.

The everglades is over-drained and needs more fresh water.

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i c what they did there...

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Water dissolving...and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

huh?! I signed, ^whatd I miss?

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ola ~

Not really overdrained at this point they are flowing water at all gates and the glades are at all time high too. Just got back and its 2 feet higher than normal

Is this what turns Jupiter inlet water brown?

But, please do not forget a very important fact of human life on this Planet; The Shit Has Got To Flow.

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Dora Hates You

IRL has been really brown lately

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If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

^North IRL and BRL are in a heavy brown tide bloom right now.

Unrelated to the Lake O releases, 

unless you consider the "source", us.

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add a signature since I'm here in profile anyway

Sending it south is better than dumping in the estuaries and ocean, which are much more valuable resources.
The Everglades will soon be sea floor again anyway.
Even Rick Scott gets it: http://cbs12.com/news/local/di...mands-immediate-action

No, that's mostly storm water runoff from the Loxahatchee river watershed.

Some Lake O water is dumped into the southern end of the Indian River via the C-44 Canal, and flows out of the St. Lucie Inlet. That discharge ends up turning even Palm Beach brown when there's a north swell, 30 miles south

Proof that even a blind hog will find an acorn once in a while.



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"Most people would die sooner than think; in fact, they do." - Bertrand Russell


"Morality is doing what is right, regardless of what you are told. Religion is doing what you are told, regardless of what is right.


If I do not answer you .... nothing personal, I just have you on ignore.

Overdrained refers to the average condition and the effect that altered hydrology has on ecology, not the present event.

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That is the way that Florida has managed its lakes for over a century.

Lake Apopka is the gem that it is as a result of this practice.

Florida built the Upper St. Johns River Basin project to provide this particular service to the farms in Indian River County.

Priority #1 is flood control. Army Corps of Engineers System Operating Manual governs discharges for flood control schedules.

Priority #2 is water supply to adjactent farms.

Everything else is subordinate.

Flood control dictates that the water be lowered on approach to the wet season. This often results in higher than natural discharges because water that should be retained is dumped to make room for potential wet seaons events.

Water supply needs dictate that in dry years, water needs to be retained in reserve for the farms to access as needed. This mean that receving water get less water than natural when dry conditions hit. The glades get too dry too quickly when the rains stop and Lake O goes into storage mode.

It isn't just the total amount or condition of water that creates ecological challenges for water managers. The timing and magnitude of releases is an issue.

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Edited: 02/12/2016 at 08:13 AM by scombrid