fbpx

Lake Okeechobee

DEEP DIVE: What the muck? How ‘black mayonnaise’ impacts our waters

December 11, 2024

Let’s face it: The Indian River Lagoon and its tributaries are mucked up. That is, they’re full of muck, a gooey mix of eroded soil, animal waste and both organic and inorganic matter that covers about 6,000 acres of the…

Day 5: Why are we getting these discharges, anyway?

December 11, 2024

The rationale behind the damaging discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and Lake Worth Lagoon goes like this: Army Corps officials say the goal of “Recovery Operations” is to give Lake O a break. For six years in…

Discharges start Saturday, could last for months

December 7, 2024

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed in a press release Friday that it will begin “Recovery Operations” – discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers along with the Lake Worth Lagoon – on Saturday, Dec. 7. According to…

We did it: LOSOM is now the law of the land

August 14, 2024

Five years ago we had an opportunity for change. We seized it. And now, at long last, that change has come. On Monday the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division Commander signed a Record of Decision for the…

LOSOM takes key step forward – at long last

May 24, 2024

The LOSOM wait is finally over. Almost. More than five years ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began holding public meetings around South Florida to tout the development of a new “Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual,” to replace the…

Deep Dive: As STA costs go up, Big Sugar’s share of the bill goes down

May 22, 2024

In our last “Deep Dive,” we noted how the stormwater treatment areas (STAs) — 62,000-acres of man-made wetlands south of Lake Okeechobee designed to clean water headed to the Everglades — could be used to help mitigate harmful Lake O…

Toxic algae could overtake Lake O; and that’s good news?

May 16, 2024

It’s toxic algae season — the least wonderful time of the year! At last week’s South Florida Water Management District Governing Board meeting, District Director of Water Resources Lawrence Glenn reported that algae blooms on Lake Okeechobee are beginning to…

Discharges to the Caloosahatchee – good or bad?

April 18, 2024

After last week’s newsletter asking if our discharge crisis was over, we got lots of feedback from readers along the Gulf coast who said the answer was “no.” While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted discharges from Lake Okeechobee…

No room at the (water storage) inn? Blame Big Sugar

March 21, 2024

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 water to be sent to the stormwater treatment areas…

Deep Dive: If we build a reservoir north of Lake O, who gets the water?

March 5, 2024

Everyone agrees that building a reservoir north of Lake Okeechobee is a good thing, a rarity among projects proposed for the greater Everglades plumbing system. More true to form is the fact that not everyone agrees on what ought to…

Archives