Congress must act on algal outbreaks
Marked by family outings and gatherings, the summer season is prime time for people to come together and enjoy the rivers, beaches and lakes in their local communities. However, due to the massive algal outbreak covering 90 percent of Lake Okeechobee, Florida’s largest freshwater lake, we again need to marshal the resources to combat this dangerous public health threat.
Algae are simple plants that live in the sea or freshwater that can be harmful to their surrounding environment. When uncontrolled growth and agricultural runoff builds up, this algae turns poisonous and puts nearby communities at risk. Lake Okeechobee is not the only major body of water to face a toxic algal outbreak. Rather it is the most recent example of a nationwide epidemic that looks like a scene from a summer blockbuster movie.
Similar to the flare-up in Florida, communities across the United States are seeing the appearance of algal bloom. Earlier this summer in Salem, Ore., the National Guard delivered free water to local communities in response to harmful algal pollution in the region’s tap water. Not only was the community’s source for safe drinking water affected, but the contamination also had a negative impact on the local economy as certain vendors were seen to have been charging prices as high as $25 for cases of bottled water.
These poisonous outbreaks have widespread consequences for public health, the environment and local economies.
They can contaminate the clean water that our children drink, causing asthma-like symptoms and possibly expose them to carcinogenic toxins. They also threaten wildlife and species that depend on a clean water habitat for survival such as many fish populations.
Decimated fish populations, in addition to limited recreational activities due to the shutdown of beaches and lakes, damper family vacations, decrease economic opportunities and can cost communities over $100 million annually.
Toxic algal outbreaks are one of the most prevalent and costly environmental problems in the United States. They have been identified in all 50 states and have become a serious environmental, health and economic issue in communities across the country. Yet, the issue continues to worsen — outbreaks are occurring earlier each year and solutions to this public health and economic threat remain nowhere to be found.
Right now, communities do not have the resources to upgrade their outdated water infrastructure. It’s time for Congress to invest in real solutions that will reduce the agricultural runoff that invades our waterways and get at the root of these damaging algal outbreaks.
There is a partial fix on the horizon for Lake Okeechobee that will create an Everglades Reservoir that will store water rather than releasing the polluted water to nearby tributaries and out to sea, but it is up to the Congress to fund it. In addition, Congress should pass federal legislation to curb the water runoff that helps create these algal blooms.
Members of Congress must recognize the negative effects that contaminated water can have on the American public and put their best foot forward with fixes to curb this national epidemic. The contamination of lakes and rivers similar to Lake Okeechobee across the country should be a wake-up call to Congress that this issue will continue to transpire as long as no concrete and effective solutions are implemented.
KATHY ATERNO,