Shared from the 12/21/2016 Palm Beach Post eEdition

Water to the north is harming Lake O

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Lake Okeechobee’s water quality has been under stress from farming runoff. MAC STONE

As a resident of Pahokee who takes great enjoyment in all that Lake Okeechobee has to offer, I am disappointed in state Senate President Joe Negron’s plan to buy land to build a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee. It does nothing to mitigate the nutrient-loading into the lake from its northern tributaries. These nutrients fuel algae blooms.

I am very sympathetic to coastal residents who had to deal with algae this summer. It affected the lake that I love, as well. A plan to send water to a reservoir may relieve some of the need to release water to tide, but it would still leave the lake primed for algae blooms. Releases would still be needed during periods of high lake levels and high rainfall.

The plan also does not address the root causes of why the lake was so full. There is limited capacity to store water to the north and limited capacity to move it south.

Detaining and treating water north of the lake would improve water quality and also attenuate the large seasonal fluctuations in water levels that have been so detrimental to wildlife and water quality.

Improving the quality of water entering Lake Okeechobee will pay dividends as that water moves south into the Everglades.

Water quality in the Everglades has improved immensely over the past 30 years in spite of the static quality of lake water. Imagine what would happen if the water quality of Lake Okeechobee was improved.

NICHOLAS LARSEN,

PAHOKEE

See this article in the e-Edition Here