From VoteWater <[email protected]>
Subject Discharges day 33: Why can't we just 'send it south?'
Date March 21, 2024 11:02 AM
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Plus: Come see us in Sewall's Point, and check out the 2024 legislative wrap-up     No room at the (water storage) inn? Blame Big Sugar At last week’s South Florida Water Management District meeting, several speakers took potshots at those of us who want to “send it south.” It’s all fine and good to call for excess water from Lake Okeechobee to be sent to the stormwater treatment areas (STAs) and water conservation areas (WCAs) instead of the northern estuaries, they said, but there’s no room; the STAs and WCAs are full. And that's true. Left unsaid was the reason why. If there’s no room for lake water in the STAs and WCAs it’s specifically because runoff from the farm fields of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) has used up all the capacity.   This graphic from the SFWMD shows the current water year (far right) with the blue representing runoff from the EAA, the yellow representing lake water. Look at how little lake water has gone to the STAs each of the past two years; you have to go back almost a decade to find comparably small totals. There's no room at the inn for lake water because the EAA has booked every room. The EAA totals around 700,000 acres, and of that, about 440,000 acres is sugarcane — 63 percent of the total. And as we’ve noted, our water management system ensures these farm fields perfect growing conditions even as Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee, St. Lucie and Lake Worth Lagoon suffer ecological devastation from high water levels or discharges. VoteWater board member Ray Judah, a former Lee County Commissioner, hammered this point home in a recent letter to the editor of the Pine Island Eagle: "The recent excessive releases of the toxic brew of chemicals and fertilizers from Lake Okeechobee smothering the Caloosahatchee, coastal estuaries and Gulf of Mexico is a stark reminder of Florida’s political system controlled by the sugar industry,” wrote Judah. “Big Sugar’s strangleold of policy makers at the local, state and federal level have prevented implementation of sound water management action to properly store and treat polluted water runoff from the sugar cane fields in the Lake Okeechobee basin." Read the whole letter. So — we’re getting punished so that Big Ag, and particularly Big Sugar, can live high on the hog. Commenters at the SFWMD meeting neglected to mention this. But don’t you forget it. PLEASE DONATE AND SUPPORT OUR WORK Aerial photo of the St. Lucie Inlet courtesy of LightHawk. Tonight in Sewall's Point: Let's talk about the discharges VoteWater is hosting a Town Hall meeting on the discharges Thursday, March 21, from 6-8 p.m. at Sewall’s Point Town Hall, 1 S. Sewalls Point Rd, Sewall’s Point, FL 34996. The free, nonpartisan community event will feature a history of the discharges, the ecological and economic impacts, current efforts to address the problem and a discussion of what more can be done. Hope to see you there! From our friends at the Indian River Neighborhood Association: Cartoon by Mike Johanssen Still time to register for Thursday livestream wrapping up the 2024 Legislative session Want a succinct and hard-hitting rundown on the 2024 Florida legislative session? Then check out Friends of the Everglades' livestream, set for noon Thursday, March 21, featuring Friends' Executive Director Eve Samples and Policy Director Gil Smart (who also serves as VoteWater Executive Director). We'll feature key insights on what legislation both passed and defeated this session — and what to look for in 2025. REGISTER FOR THE LIVESTREAM BECOME A MEMBER DONATE VoteWater 3727 SE Ocean Blvd Suite 200-A Stuart, FL 34996 | (772) 212-2939 VoteWater | 3727 SE Ocean Blvd, Suite 200-A, Stuart, FL 34996 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!
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