We did it.

Five years ago when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced plans to formulate a new Lake Okeechobee regulation schedule, you came to the meetings, you spoke out.

VoteWater, then Bullsugar.org, was right there with you. We worked with state and federal legislators to focus on operational changes that for the first time acknowledged the impact of toxic algae on human health.

We didn’t get everything we wanted. But the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) that went into effect Tuesday is a significant improvement over the previous “LORS08” regulation schedule. 

LOSOM is the first plan that acknowledges the need to send more clean water south to the Everglades. It provides the Corps with new flexibility in making water management decisions. Most importantly, it's expected to reduce harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee by 37%, and reduce total discharges to the St. Lucie also by 37%.

It’s important to note it won’t END discharges; when the lake gets too high, we can still expect to get blasted.

So there’s still work to be done.

But let’s celebrate the milestone and the progress. LOSOM is an example of how good things can happen when the clean-water community bands together to demand change. Let’s do it again sometime real soon.

Does Fort Lauderdale have an algae problem?

When you think of harmful algal blooms, Lake Okeechobee may immediately come to mind — for good reason.

But plenty of other communities across Florida struggle with algae blooms every summer; the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Algal Bloom Dashboard shows dozens of hot spots throughout the state, though comparably few are in south Florida.

That is, except for four sites along the South Fork of the New River near Fort Lauderdale. There — at Riverland Road Boat Ramp, Yacht Haven, Coontie Hatchee Park and Colee Hammock Park — DEP sampling has detected cyanobacteria of different strains at different sites.

But in all four cases the DEP says toxins have not been detected.

The City of Fort Lauderdale itself announced in late July that “early evidence of algal blooms” had been spotted at several sites; and while DEP says the algae was non-toxic, “neighbors and their pets should continue to avoid swimming in or around areas with active algal blooms. Individuals who come into contact with the algae should wash off with soap and water, especially if their skin is easily irritated.”

The blooms do not appear to have been noticed by local news media but residents have seen them. The Broward County-based group Residents for Resilience has posted photos on its Facebook page and website, along with water quality sampling results at 13 Fort Lauderdale sites by the Miami Waterkeeper — showing the South Fork of the New River isn’t the only area with problems.

This has become an all-too familiar story throughout the Sunshine State. Until elected officials do more to clean up our waterways and prevent new pollution from making things worse — well, welcome to Florida. Just steer clear of the water.

It's election time. What are you voting for?

Florida's primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 20; polling places are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

In Miami-Dade County, VoteWater has endorsed Danielle Levine Cava for Mayor and Cindy Lerner for the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, District 7. We expect to make additional endorsements in the run-up to the Nov. 5 general election — so stay tuned.

It's a big year. Let's make a big difference.

P.S.: Have you completed and signed this year's petition for the proposed Florida Right to Clean Water Constitutional Amendment yet? Why the heck not? Stop by the VoteWater office at 3727 SE Ocean Blvd., Suite 200A in Stuart to pick up a petition — or head over to the Right to Clean Water website to print one at home.