Frustrated community told no easy fix for algae woes
STUART — A community filled Stuart City Hall on Friday, spilling into hallways where residents strained to hear what they hoped would be fast-track fixes for their algae-poisoned waterways.
Many left disappointed, told instead during a 90-minute forum there are no silver bullets to mend a 70-year-old flood control system built to serve a population of 2 million that has since quadrupled.
“They are just kicking the can down the road,” said Melbourne resident Eric Ziegler after the Friday meeting of federal and state officials that included discussion about projects underway to help alleviate algae outbreaks. “They aren’t doing a thing.”
The unusual public conference that drew high-ranking officials from the Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service and Army Corps was in response to a request by Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, that Lake Okeechobee be
kept at lower levels during the dry season to avoid wet-season discharges that foul northern estuaries.
The Army Corps prefers to keep the lake between 12.5 feet and 15.5 feet above sea level for the health of the ecosystem, to bank water in case of drought, and to ensure the integrity of the Herbert Hoover Dike.
For three consecutive years, record rainfall or tropical systems pushed the lake to levels that required draining water into the St. Lucie Estuary and Caloosahatchee River, contributing to widespread blue-green algae blooms in 2016 and this summer.
A handful of attendees Friday carried sheets of paper with “Lower Lake O” printed on them, reflecting Mast’s request.
But Col. Jason Kirk, commander of the Army Corps’ Jacksonville district, said his hands are tied by 12-year-old lake level rules that need a revamp, and South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Ernie Marks said a lower lake can lead to unintended consequences. Those include extreme water restrictions that damage treatment areas for cleaning water before it reaches the Everglades, saltwater intrusion, and a lack of water for the Seminole Tribe of Florida during drought.
“I can’t take a narrow focus with my job representing all the 16 counties of South Florida,” Marks said. “I need to balance all of the needs, which includes the east coast and Martin County, and that means having everyone at the table to arrive at an answer.”
“In other words, this is a waste of time,” someone yelled from the audience, which was 100-strong in the commission chambers with another estimated 100 outside.
“Send it south!” was another refrain that will be answered in part by a planned reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee that will hold some overflow instead of sending it all out the estuaries. The reservoir, spearheaded by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Palm City, is waiting for Congressional approval.
The Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule, which Kirk said he must follow, outlines what levels the lake should be during different times of the year and given specific conditions. This winter the Corps will announce dates for public input on revising the schedule, or what Kirk called “the battle book.”
“We cannot be arbitrary and capricious. I can’t just take the book and say throw it off the table and let’s you and me decide on something else,” Kirk said. “If we think we can do some deviation of levels we will, but we have to work through the process.”
While the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries have suffered from the blue-green algae bloom, which has shown high toxicity levels in tests from both waterways, the southwest coast is also dealing with a savage red tide outbreak.
Red tide, a harmful algae bloom, has killed untold numbers of fish, as well as manatees, turtles and dolphins from Naples to Longboat Key.
Sanibel Mayor Kevin Ruane attended Friday’s meeting. He said 310 tons of dead fish have been removed from his shores in the past three weeks.
“We are on the verge of collapsing an economy,” Ruane said. “The projects to fix this are not going to be built soon enough. We need to do a better job now.”
“Solidarity y’all,” someone yelled from the crowd.