“It’s an emergency in the Everglades,” said Ron Bergeron, commissioner for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Heavy rains in the past few weeks in South Florida have continued to highlight what we already know – the reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee is needed to help properly store, clean and convey fresh water. Without it, the state is left with only poor choices for how to manage the flooding, inevitably putting coastal communities, our waterways, ecosystems and many species of animals, fish, and birds at grave risk. The situation is urgent, and this has to stop. We need to keep the pressure on and ensure that the reservoir is built promptly so we can prevent the cycle of catastrophic drought and flooding from happening in the future.
Thank you for your continued support of our efforts.
Now or Neverglades Declaration
Parts of Florida’s Everglades are so waterlogged that deer, wading birds, and other animals are running out of dry ground. Prolonged flooding threatens both animal and plant species in the fragile Everglades ecosystem, according to a statement from the South Florida Water Management District. The state agency, which oversees Everglades restoration, was flushing billions of gallons of water east into the Atlantic Ocean. The district also was pumping billions of gallons of water into Lake Okeechobee, despite the risk of fertilizers and other pollutants streaming into the freshwater lake, where water levels are lower than normal.
Source: US News and World Report
A few weeks ago, without public notice, Gov. Rick Scott’s hand-picked board members at the South Florida Water Management District decided to go it alone on a plan to dispose of billions of gallons of untreated freshwater permanently by pumping it deep into the earth – water needed for the Everglades, Florida Bay and our drinking water supply. The move came after the U.S Army Corps of Engineers rejected further consideration of so-called deep injection wells.
Source: Sun Sentinel
The back pumping into Lake O – which ended late last week – might indeed have been necessary. But it’s yet another reminder there are no cost-free options when it comes to South Florida’s plumbing.
Source: TC Palm
NOTE: Featured Image spring tarpon on the move in Islamorada, Florida. Photographer Adrian Gray – BTT library.