Why Lake Okeechobee’s water level matters to South Florida
The future of South Florida’s water is hanging in the balance in an obscure government rule-making process that could set a dangerous precedent affecting all of the region’s families, farmers, fishermen, businesses and tourism providers. Efforts to permanently lower the level of Lake Okeechobee in the name of preventing the spread of algal blooms may appear laudable on the surface, but they put an issue lobbied by activists ahead of the needs of everyone else in South Florida and the more than 6 million who rely on the lake for water.
The Army Corps of Engineers, which has managed the lake’s levels in accordance with their regulation schedule, this year decided to deviate from their approved lake schedule and let the water level down to less than 11 feet above sea level. The Corps’ proposal to make this permanent has already sparked a lawsuit, but it’s far more important than that.
Lake Okeechobee’s levels matter because it’s South Florida’s safety net. When there is a drought, those waters recharge the aquifer that provides the drinking water for South Florida.
In 2011, West Palm Beach was within days of having to truck in water, an unthinkable problem and an unnecessary one, if we manage Lake Okeechobee responsibly.
The good news is the solution is already there – President Trump, South Florida’s Congressional delegation and the State of Florida came together to help fully fund and fast-track about $1.8 billion in repairs and improvements to the Herbert Hoover dike system that surrounds the lake.
The repairs to the dike mean the Corps will have flexibility to hold in more water when needed, and that will mean fewer releases to coastal communities, which will be a welcome relief. Those repairs are due to be complete by 2022, and in the meantime, the Corps is writing a new operating manual for the lake that is also expected by that year.
The major risk is that the Corps will stick with the lower lake levels permanently because of activist-driven pressure. That would all but stop the ability to deliver any water south of the lake for any beneficial purpose, increase the risk of saltwater intrusion in our aquifers and impinge on the water supplies of those who rely on the lake.
A lower level could also put Lake
Okeechobee at risk of drying out, impacting boating, navigation, recreation, and listed species if there is insufficient rain.
For South Florida’s energy consumers, a lower Lake Okeechobee, which is the main source of groundwater from Palm Beach to Miami-Dade County, uncertainties in water supply could put their access to a stable supply of energy at risk. Florida electricity generation requires a consistent source of water to ensure that power customers, including small businesses and families, have access to the affordable and reliable energy that they require.
None of those risks and their potential outcomes are acceptable.
Lake Okeechobee is important to nearly everyone in South Florida and the Corps’ operating manual for the lake should reflect this and balance everyone’s concerns. South Florida’s congressional delegation should make their voices heard on a matter affecting all of their constituents, not just now, but well into the future.
We encourage the Army Corps of Engineers to remember the needs of South Florida’s families, farmers, tourism operators, fishermen and businesses, and not let an activist-driven crusade influence their sound record of decision-making in managing Lake Okeechobee.
Kevin Doyle is the Florida Executive Director for Consumer Energy Alliance, a national advocacy organization dedicated to reliable and affordable energy for small business, families and consumers. In 2011, West Palm Beach was within days of having to truck in water, an unthinkable problem and an unnecessary one, if we manage Lake Okeechobee responsibly.