160731-a
'Oh, Florida!' explores how a weird state impacts the nation
Herald-Tribune -by Jay Handelman
July 31, 2016
For several years, Tampa Bay Times environmental reporter Craig Pittman had something of a sideline keeping track of the many odd stories that emanated from around the state of Florida. It probably could have become a full-time job. His Twitter followers knew that whenever they saw a Tweet labeled #OhFlorida, they would find a link to some kind of humorously twisted story about a crime, domestic disturbance, real estate scam or political imbroglio.
The tweets eventually led to a blog on slate.com.
Individually, those stories may have been brief, fun reads. Taken together they tell a richer and more probing story that Pittman weaves together in his new book “Oh, Florida! How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country” (St. Martin’s Press), in which he explains why certain things seem to happen in Florida and what that means for everyone else.
“The idea of this book is that it’s a presidential election year. It’s a time when the nation’s eyes turn to Florida, the swingingest of swing states,” he said in an interview. “We went for Obama twice and Rick Scott twice. How do you reconcile those things? I’m trying to explain things to the nation. We’re the punchline state, but we’re more than that and we affect your lives more than that.”
As recently as 1940, Florida was the least populous Southern state. Now it’s the third most populous in the country. “We’ve got all of these people. And it’s not that we have so many people, but that everybody’s gotten here pretty recently.”
There’s a lack of history among many Florida residents, unlike Pittman, a native whose ancestors arrived in the state in 1850. He writes lovingly about exploring nature where he grew up outside Pensacola, and sharing similar experiences with his two sons.
“I grew up hearing these stories from my parents, who were also Florida natives. That gives you some sense of history of the place. But a lot of the people who move to Florida still feel an allegiance to where they came from. They don’t think of Florida as having any history. Oh, maybe after Disney World opened in 1971.”
There are still pieces of old Florida around, he says, but development has made them harder to find in the nearly 100 years since crafty people began pitching real estate in the sun and sand, while hiding the reality of all the undeveloped and usually uninhabitable land they were selling. (A lot of it was contingent on draining land around the Everglades.)
Pittman offers plenty of tales about real estate scams (and dreamers who went bust on foolish purchases), and has earned praise in several newspaper reviews. The New York Times wrote that “Pittman guides us through 18 chapters of natural, economic, political, social and personal history, each painstakingly reported and researched. These he arranges into a compulsively readable, lifer’s-eye view of a state he so obviously loves to death.”
And The Los Angeles Times, which called it “an extraordinary catalog of ‘weird Florida,'" said that he goes “well beyond the absurdities to explore the tension between urban and rural Florida, between the plastic Disney World aspects and parts of the state that do not appear on any tourist brochure and never will.”
Out of some of the strangest stories, Pittman recounts, came actions that did impact the rest of the nation, like the open government regulations known as Sunshine Laws that are modeled after the one established in Florida thanks to longtime legislator J. Emery “Red” Cross.
“He’s one Florida man everybody should be proud of,” Pittman said. Cross was a prosecutor and then a member of the state House and Senate, who didn’t like the corruption he was witnessing, even among his friends.
The cover of Tampa Bay Times reporter Craig Pittman's new book, published by St. Martin's Press
“What the politicians were doing was enriching themselves and their cronies at the public’s expense — and some of those doing it were Cross’s own pals. It made him sick,” Pittman writes. By the mid 1950s, Cross talked with a journalism professor at the University of Florida about the need for a state law that “would shine a light into the darkest corners of government,” he says. He drafted a bill calling for open meetings and open records and fines for anyone who tried to hide their activities from the public. It took nearly a decade before his bill made it through the legislature.
As you might expect, there are also several pages devoted to former Florida Secretary of State and Congresswoman Katherine Harris, whose position thrust her into the center of the 2000 presidential election, and the controversial campaign funding she received from the Sarasota-based corporation Riscorp.
One of Pittman’s own personal favorite stories is about the two Miami Beach police officers who were caught burglarizing businesses on their own beat. They were caught by a ham radio operator who picked up their transmissions, recorded them and turned them over to authorities who recognized the voices of the officers.
It could have been just another oddball case left for humorous memories, but they found a lawyer who appealed the officers’ convictions to the U.S. Supreme Court, not on the facts of the case, but because there were TV cameras in the courtroom.
The court ruled in support of cameras in the state courts. “That allowed us to watch the O.J. Simpson trial, all because of two crooked cops,” Pittman said.
Some of the anecdotes in the book Pittman recalls hearing while growing up. Others he picked up by talking with a couple of state historians. And he began collecting others through a Pinterest page.
“I had a whole bunch of snippets. There were a lot of people like me who collected these stories.”
“Oh, Florida!” follows Pittman’s last book, “The Scent of Scandal,” published in 2012, about a controversial orchid that was brought into the United States without proper permitting and caused serious problems for Sarasota's own Selby Botanical Gardens.

160731-b
Reverse decision to allow more cancer-causing chemicals in Florida water: Where We Stand
Orlando Sentinel
July 31,2016
Raising limits on cancer-causing chemicals shows Florida leaders don't get the need to change on water policy.
Against the backdrop of this summer's water-borne ecological calamity on the Treasure Coast — a noxious bloom of blue-green algae — a Florida commission met this past week to consider a proposal to allow more cancer-causing chemicals in the state's waterways.
While the issues aren't directly related — nutrient pollution is the suspected cause of the algae bloom, not carcinogens — it's reasonable to expect members of the Environmental Regulation Commission would at least demonstrate renewed resolve to safeguard Florida's vital but threatened water supply. After all, the commission's mission is to set "standards and rules that protect Floridians and the environment."
Instead, the commission voted 3-2 in favor of the proposal. "There is more good than harm," said the commission's chair, Cari Roth.
With the health of Florida's water — and therefore its environment and its economy — at stake, this is an unacceptably low standard. There is too much at risk to settle for "more good than harm."
The proposal endorsed by the commission is a mixed bag, but more cancer-causing chemicals' limits were increased than decreased. It's industry friendly, even though some industrial polluters still aren't satisfied.
The proposal also established limits for 39 currently unregulated chemicals, a fact touted by supporters. Yet criticism spanned the political spectrum.
Congressional Democrats from Florida fired off a letter expressing their "serious concerns" to Gina McCarthy, the administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, where the proposal is now headed for review. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and eight U.S. House members wrote that "it is critically important that we ensure Florida's water-quality standards preserve the health and safety of all users, especially vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and people whose livelihoods rely on the water, such as commercial fishermen."
And a Republican state senator from Miami, Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, called for the commission to reconsider its decision. "I cannot understand how allowing for the increase of not one but multiple known cancer-causing agents in our waterways throughout the state makes any logical sense," Diaz de la Portilla declared in a statement he released following the vote.
Both the congressional Democrats and the Republican state senator pointed out a glaring flaw in the commission's process. Two of its seven seats — reserved for representatives of the environmental community and local government — have been left vacant by Gov. Rick Scott. "I cannot help but think that the vote would have not been 3-2 in favor, but 4-3 against, had a full commission been given the chance to vote on this proposal," Diaz de la Portilla wrote.
If Scott is sincerely interested in the commission fulfilling its mission, he will heed the advice of his fellow Republican, Diaz de la Portilla, and order another vote on the proposal after he fills the two vacancies.
Meanwhile, responding to the Treasure Coast's algae crisis, Scott blamed Nelson, whom he might challenge for the Senate in 2018, for not securing enough federal dollars to prevent releases of nutrient-polluted water from Lake Okeechobee. Such transparently partisan politics will only bog down progress in solving Florida's water problems. It's worth remembering that Tampa Bay, plagued by nutrient pollution in the 1970s, was successfully cleaned up after local, state and federal leaders in both parties closed ranks and worked together.
Scott has pledged to seek money in the next state budget for grants to replace septic tanks, one of the primary sources of nutrient pollution. Earlier this year, the governor and the Legislature made a long-term financial commitment to restoring the Everglades, springs and Lake Apopka by establishing the Legacy Florida program. These are positive steps, but much more needs to be done to protect Florida's water supply.
Regional water management districts, whose budgets were slashed by Scott in 2011, need to be re-empowered with sufficient funds and appointees committed to carrying out their critical responsibilities. Money set aside for water and land conservation by voters when they approved Amendment One in 2014 needs to be invested for that purpose, not diverted to agency salaries and other operating expenses.
And water-quality standards need to be raised, not lowered.

160730-a
Lake Okeechobee draining triggers rift between farming towns, coastal communities
Sun Sentinel – by Andy Reid, Reporter
July 30, 2016
How to fix the toxic ooze of algae fouling Florida waterways is pitting coastal tourist destinations against South Florida farming towns.
Draining Lake Okeechobee to protect South Florida towns and sugar cane fields from flooding dumps polluted water into coastal fishing grounds — triggering toxic algae blooms that can kill fish, make people sick and scare away tourists.
Residents and business leaders of coastal communities such as Stuart and Fort Myers, along with environmental groups, are pushing for the state to buy more South Florida farmland and use it to move additional lake water south, instead of dumping it to the east and west coasts.
But South Florida's Glades communities — including Pahokee, South Bay and Belle Glade in Palm Beach County — say flooding farmland to move water south means losing jobs in an area already suffering. Unemployment has hovered near 20 percent in the Glades communities.
"It's difficult to hear ... more affluent communities complain about the effects of water discharges," said Tammy Jackson-Moore, Pahokee's deputy city manager. "We are pushing back. We are people too. We are not going to be quiet any more
Glades leaders say that instead of taking South Florida farmland out of agricultural production, state leaders should use land north of Lake Okeechobee to store and clean up polluted water draining into the lake from Central Florida.
"We don't want you to destroy our livelihood in the process, and they don't care," former Pahokee mayor J.P. Sasser said about those pushing to use South Florida farmland to move lake water south. "It's just frustrating as hell."
Yet advocates for using South Florida farmland to solve the lake drainage problems counter that sending more lake water south — where it once naturally flowed and replenished the Everglades — is the best long-term alternative to harmful lake discharges to the east and west coasts.
They say opponents to buying the farmland are parroting the objections of the influential sugar industry, which opposes parting with more sugar cane fields.
"The water has got to go where it used to go. ... It's got to flow southward," said Charles Grande, of the Stuart-based Rivers Coalition advocacy group. "That system worked for centuries and we broke it."
Grande said that despite the "noise" from the Glades communities, it would just take a fraction of the available sugar cane land to get more lake water moving south. "We don't need to put them out of business," Grande said.
The "misinformation" about job loss and other economic consequences from using South Florida farmland as an alternative southern outlet for lake water is intended to "drive a wedge between inland and coastal communities," said Jennifer Hecker, of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, based in Naples.
"A restored lake and a healthy Everglades ecosystem ... would actually bring more tourism to that area," Hecker said.
Glades community leaders say they aren't just schilling for the sugar industry. And after decades of struggling to attract new business and industry to the area south of the lake, they aren't buying environmentalists' suggestion of an eco-tourism solution to their unemployment levels.
This summer, representatives of economically struggling towns rimming the lake have been speaking out against the land-buy proposal.
"What that really means is to destroy jobs for us," Hendry County Commissioner Janet Taylor on July 14 told the South Florida Water Management District board. About a dozen Glades residents attended the district board meeting wearing yellow shirts that said, "#ourlivesmattertoo."
The sugar industry does not have to "get" Glades officials or residents to speak out, because they are doing it on their own, U.S. Sugar Corp. spokeswoman Judy Sanchez said.
"Wealthy coastal elites have been attacking our communities and trying to drive agriculture out of this area for nearly two decades," Sanchez said. Glades officials and residents "are sick and tired of sugar cane farming being the scapegoat for everything that comes down the pike, and they are tired of their communities constantly being under attack," she said.
To keep swollen Lake Okeechobee from bursting through its shaky dike, the Army Corps of Engineers since January has drained billions of gallons of lake water each day east toward Stuart through the St. Lucie River and west toward Fort Myers through the Caloosahatchee River.
That influx of dark, freshwater into normally clear, salty estuaries is killing sea grass and oyster beds that are feeding grounds for game fish, wading birds and manatees.
The lake water is polluted with phosphorus — from fertilizers, animal waste and sewage draining into the lake — that fuels toxic algae blooms. In late June and early July, waterways near Stuart turned bright green with foul-smelling toxic algae that makes waters unsafe for swimming and fishing.
That is scaring away tourists, hampering real estate deals and causing other problems for communities where the economies are tied to the waterways.
"The phones aren't ringing. It's pretty dead," said Mary Radabaugh, manager for the Central Marine boatyard in Stuart.
Even though the intensity of the algae blooms and lake discharges have decreased during the past few weeks, the damage to the ecosystem and the tourism-based economy lingers as long as the draining continues.
"Right now the water is too dirty and too damn dangerous to be [fishing] in," said Marty Baum, executive director of the Indian Riverkeeper group – an Indian River Lagoon advocacy organization based in Jensen Beach. "I wouldn't let my family go in the water. ... It's pretty grim."
Supporters of moving more Lake Okeechobee water south say it will take acquiring 50,000 acres to get more lake water flowing to the Everglades.
But Gov. Rick Scott has prioritized using land the state already owns to finish long-stalled Everglades restoration reservoirs and treatment areas.
Finishing ongoing Everglades restoration projects will create water management alternatives that help reduce Lake Okeechobee draining to the east and west coast, according to the governor.
Scott has also blamed the damaging lake draining on the federal government being slow to fix Lake Okeechobee's erosion-prone dike.
While environmental groups support finishing Everglades restoration and fixing the dike, they say reducing damaging lake discharges to the east and west coasts will eventually require buying more land and building another reservoir south of the lake.
They have called for the state to start working on the southern reservoir proposal during a new round of Everglades restoration planning that starts this year, instead of waiting up to four years as the state now plans.
"Our rivers and estuaries are being destroyed by this pollution," said Hecker of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
Palm Beach County's three Glades cities include nearly 30,000 people living in the shadow of Lake Okeechobee's erosion-prone dike. About 30 percent of the residents are in poverty, double the statewide percentage, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Lake Okeechobee's drainage problems need to be solved without causing more economic harm for Glades communities, Palm Beach County Commissioner Shelley Vana said.
"We are trying to be God and fix things that happened a long time ago," Vana said. "We have to find a solution that works for everybody."
Related:           Lake Okeechobee draining will be reduced to combat coastal algae blooms
To combat foul-smelling, toxic algae blooms plaguing coastal communities, officials decided Thursday to drain less water from Lake Okeechobee and spend nearly $3 million on emergency measures.
Months of draining the lake to guard against flooding in South Florida has dumped billions of gallons of...
To combat foul-smelling, toxic algae blooms plaguing coastal communities, officials decided Thursday to drain less water from Lake Okeechobee and spend nearly $3 million on emergency measures.
Months of draining the lake to guard against flooding in South Florida has dumped billions of gallons of...  

160730-b
Water district details near-term plan to aid Florida Bay
FLkeysNews - by Kevin Wadlow
July, 302016
A plan to move more fresh water into the headwaters of Taylor Slough could add 6.5 billion gallons of water to Florida Bay in a typical year, the South Florida Water Management District reports.
The $3.3 million plan aims to use “canals, weirs, pump stations and other structures” to move water about five miles into Taylor Slough, which feeds the bay.
“This will help save the bay by reducing salinity levels and promoting the recovery of seagrasses killed during a severe drought in the summer of 2015,” a district spokesman said.
“We will put water where it is desperately needed to help this delicate and rare ecosystem recover from the impact of last year's drought in Florida Bay,” district board Chairman Daniel O'Keefe said after the board approved the plan July 14. “This is a win for Monroe County, a win for the environment and a win for all Floridians.”
The increased water flow would “essentially double” the amount of fresh water reaching the bay, from 18,000 acre-feet to 39,000 acre-feet (one foot of water over an acre of property) in a normal year. Primary features of the plan include:
▪ Connecting a flow way from the S-200 Pump Station to the L-31 West Canal to send more water toward Taylor Slough.
▪ Rebuilding a levee and weir (a small dam) and adding plugs along the L-31 West Canal to encourage more water flow to Taylor Slough, and to retain water in Everglades National Park.
▪ Pump more water through the S-328 structure into the L-31 West Canal.
Supplemental features of the plan:
▪ Installing plugs in the L-31 West Canal to reduce seepage from Everglades National Park and the S-332D Pump Station to promote overland flow of water into Taylor Slough.
▪ Modifying a weir at the S-332D structure to promote overland flow of water toward the flow way.
▪ Increasing pumping capacity at S-199 and S-200 stations to send more water into Taylor Slough, the Aerojet Canal, Everglades National Park and ultimately Florida Bay.
▪ Removing “impediment” vegetation to increase the amount of water flowing to the slough through detention areas.

160729-a
Comprehensive Everglades restoration a necessity
Sun Sentinel – by Joe Collins, former chairman of the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board, currently a vice president for Lykes Bros. Inc.
July 29, 2016
Political leaders need to finish what they started on Everglades restoration.
In 2000, state and federal water managers began to undertake the largest and most advanced engineering and restoration project ever designed when they began the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).
The United States Army Corps of Engineers hailed the plan as an "innovative, comprehensive, cutting-edge approach" that when completed "will be a win-win for the environment and the public needs of Southeast Florida." Representatives from environmental and agricultural communities joined elected Republicans and Democrats alike in praising the plan and eagerly awaiting its construction.
The plan was developed after years of studying the best approach to water storage, treatment and delivery of water to the Everglades ecosystem. The facts then, as they do now, suggested the vast majority of the water enters Lake Okeechobee from the north, and that storage and treatment near the source is preferable before it enters into Lake Okeechobee.
When considering the restoration plan, the South Florida Water Management District also considered many alternatives such as the flow-way concept known as "Plan 6" (and the federally-based CEPP). In recent months, some critics have revived calls for the flow-way concept, but the plan's shortcomings still remain.
In 1999, for instance, the district commissioned a feasibility study looking into the flow-way. The study concluded the concept "creates a water supply burden on the system without clear hydrologic benefits." In a 2007 presentation to the Governing Board, district engineers and scientists noted that among other things, flows from a hypothetical flow-way to Everglades National Park would remain too low, "exacerbate the already high stages in the northern parts" of the Water Conservation Areas, and have "very low habitat suitability."
Despite claims that the flow-way would return Lake Okeechobee to a more natural state, the presentation concluded "water deliveries to or from a flow-way will never be natural because Lake Okeechobee has changed."
In 2015, the University of Florida's Water Institute study on Everglades restoration also noted the challenges with the flow-way concept, concluding that "In both the USACE Reconnaissance Report (1994) and the SFWMD River of Grass planning process (2009), results indicated that a passive EAA flow-way is not the optimal approach for addressing problems of too much water going to the estuaries in the wet season or too little water going to the Everglades in the dry season."
It was ultimately these factors that would cause the water management district, the state and the federal government to develop the managed storage, treatment and delivery projects that make up the restoration plan today. Once completed, the restoration will provide tangible relief to the Caloosahatchee River and St. Lucie River basins and reduce the need to discharge water from Lake Okeechobee. Additionally, the projects, including the expansion of the C-43 and C-44 reservoirs, will store and treat water near the source before it flows into the estuary.
Leaders in Tallahassee and Washington need to finish what was started in 2000 and fully fund the restoration projects, which are designed to bring relief to the estuaries that are interconnected to the Lake Okeechobee system. Progress has been frustratingly slow, and while it is tempting to get distracted by sound-bite science promising easy fixes, the restoration plan continues to remain the best option for fixing Florida's water problems throughout the Everglades ecosystem.

160729-b
Sanibel mayor issues water quality call to action
Cape Coral Daily Breeze - Guest opinion
July 29, 2016
On July 19, the Sanibel City Council adopted Resolution 16-060 calling on the State of Florida and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to accelerate the planning and design process of a critical project, the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), that when completed will provide additional storage south of Lake Okeechobee and reduce the high-volume freshwater discharges that have been so devastating to our community. Currently this high-impact project is not slated to begin until 2020. We are pleased to advise you that as of today the U.S. Army Corps has announced they are willing to expedite the planning of this project.
We cannot wait five years to begin the planning phase for the EAA. Now we must convince the State of Florida to accelerate the planning and design process for the "EAA Storage & ASR/Decomp Ph2" project in the 2015 Integrated Delivery Schedule from 2020 to 2016/2017. WE ARE REQUESTING YOU ADD YOUR VOICE TO THIS CAUSE.
For your convenience, with one click with the on-line version of this letter on the city website, www.mysanibel.com , you can send emails to the Governor, the South Florida Water Management District Executive Director and Governing Board, Local Legislative Delegation, and the President of State Senate and House Speaker, urging our State officials and representatives accelerate the EAA planning from 2020 to 2016/2017 and to commence land acquisition and construction immediately upon completion of planning and design. Let me assure you that protecting our coastal estuaries from high-volume freshwater discharges is our top priority at Sanibel City Hall. We truly appreciate your assistance in this endeavor.
On behalf of the citizens of Sanibel we also want to specifically thank Congressman Member Patrick E. Murphy, whose 18th District represents Martin, St. Lucie and northern Palm Beach counties, for his efforts to obtain this commitment from the U.S. Corps of Army. This accomplishment clearly illustrates how effective we can be when both coasts work towards a common goal in a bipartisan effort.

160728-a
Army Corps to maintain ‘pulse’ discharges from Lake Okeechobee
TCPalm.com - by Staff Report
July 28, 2016
For the third week in a row, Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River will remain at an average of 420.1 million gallons a day, the Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday.
The corps will continue its "pulse release" pattern: The flow will increase for a couple of days beginning Friday, then drop daily until no water flows through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam on Wednesday and Thursday.
Less lake water means more salinity in the river, which helps keep algae blooms at bay, and less nitrogen and phosphorus to feed the blooms.
Under current conditions, the corps could release up to 756.2 million gallons a day to the St. Lucie.
Since the discharges began Jan. 30, more than 165 billion gallons of Lake O water has entered the river's estuary.

160728-b
Bacteria levels dropping in SWFL waters
ABC-7.com
July 28, 2016
SANIBEL -
There is some more good news when it comes to the quality of our coastal waters.
The latest reports from the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation show bacteria levels are closer to average, and the water is safe to swim in the river.
Although the tide is changing, scientists said we're not done fighting for our waters yet.
Mary Williams sees an inviting beach when looking at the water off the coast of Sanibel.
"I wouldn't hesitate to get in that water. It looks great to me," she said.
But there are still some issues that need to be fixed.
"The biggest point is the flows have slowed down, and the water is starting to clear up some, and our Cyanobacteria levels are back down to closer to normal," said Dr. Rick Bartleson with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.
The root of the issues still lies among the encouraging results.
"Our flows are still higher than the harm threshold of 2800 cfs at Franklin Lock," Bartleson said.
The freshwater that ends up in our waterways is still flowing from rainfall, runoff, and Lake Okeechobee.
The City of Sanibel is urging people to support the Everglades Agricultural Area Storage Project, taking water into wetlands south of Lake O. That plan won't get moving until 2020.
"We got really good news this week which is that the Army Corps of Engineers has indicated their willingness to move up that planning process," said Holly Milbrandt, environmental biologist with the City of Sanibel.
The Corps needs a state sponsor, one the residents could urge to get on board to bring more relief and more people like Williams to our waters.
"The last time I was here I was definitely swimming in it. And I just don't have my suit on today, or I'd be in it now," Williams said.
The latest results from the Department of Environment Protection show no toxins in the water. The next round of testing should be done in a couple of days.
Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers confirmed it would not be decreasing flows from Lake O this week.

160728-c
Feds, state quarrel over water issues
News-Press.com – by Chad Gillis
July 28, 2016
Federal and state agencies are bickering over who exactly is responsible for poor water quality conditions that have gripped much of the state for most of this year.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is essentially telling the Army Corps of Engineers to speed up Everglades restoration projects.
The Army Corps of Engineers says it could speed up projects aimed at storing water south of Lake Okeechobee if it had a state partner, which is required in the 50-50 cost split Everglades restoration. That partner would have to be the South Florida Water Management District, but officials there say part of the problem is that the Fish and Wildlife Service is constraining water management options by enforcing the Endangered Species Act.
If it sounds complicated, that's because it is.
No on wants to take credit for the degraded water conditions that have plagued areas like Fort Myers and the St. Lucie area, two areas that receive discharges from Lake Okeechobee.
The problem stems from the mid-1800s, when Florida was created by the federal government with the caveat that Florida drain the Everglades and provide a "bread basket" of agriculture south of the lake.
Lake Okeechobee was diked. The Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers were connected to the lake. Okeechobee waters were then sent down the rivers, which in turn dried out much of the historic River of Grass.
The project worked exactly as it was designed, but decades of water management side effects has lead to ecological issues and detrimental impacts on the Everglades itself.
Heavy rains started falling in January, thanks to an El Nino weather pattern brought record rainfall to most of the state.
Water managers have since struggled to keep Lake Okeechobee water levels low enough to provide flood protection needed south lake.
Lake water has contributed to a nasty algae bloom on the east coast, and residents in Southwest Florida have worried recently the same may be headed this direction.
Pete Antonacci, the water management district's executive director, pleaded with Senators Ben Nelson and Marco Rubio to intervene in the situation.
Federal protections for birds like the Cape Sable seaside sparrow the Everglades snail kite won't allow the state to store waters in certain areas because it can impact or kill those species.
Enforcing those laws, Antonacci's letter says, is detrimental to our crippled coastal estuaries.
"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is forcibly standing behind the Endangered Species Act in an attempt to block the district's emergency operational actions. In fact, USFWS has even threatened the district with legal action," a letter from Antonacci to Nelson and Rubio reads. "Their message seems to be: if you continue to provide relief for coastal residents and businesses then we will see you in court."
Earlier this week the Governmental Affairs Office says the Corps needs a better, more accurate system of documenting conditions. Instead of conducting mandatory 10-year reviews of the facilities, Army Corps officials across the nation have instead relied on "informal," day-to-day inspections.
The Corps, however, says the state needs to participate in a study aimed at assessing lands south of Lake Okeechobee, a process that is currently scheduled to begin in five years.
Residents and business owners in Southwest Florida have pushed the state for a decade or more to buy farm fields south of the lake and turn them into water storage compounds that would receive some of the harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee.
"A study (of agriculture lands) will investigate opportunities to create water storage (in) areas south of the lake," a letter from Jo-Ellen Darcy, assistant secretary of the Army, says. "The Army is prepared to initiate this study quickly, once a non-Federal sponsor for the study is identified."
Environmental groups say all entities involved in Everglades restoration need to finish projects that are in the works while designing other projects that will provide more long-term solutions.
"The algal blooms and the sea grass beds dying and the endangered species are all the same problem and they have the same overall solution: implement ting everglades restoration faster," said Julie Hill-Gabriel, with Audubon Florida. "We’re seeing such dramatic images of algal blooms in the estuaries at the same time we’re seeing sea grass die off because of a lack of freshwater. The solution is reconnecting the natural system."
So who is to blame for dying sea grasses, fish kills and algae blooms?
"It's all of us," Dave Ulrich, with the Responsible Growth Coalition. "We need to stop pointing fingers and work on the issues."

160728-d
Restoring a Florida Legacy
Florida Trend
July 28, 2016
Vast changes over the past 100 years make the restoration of the Everglades time-intensive and expensive.
For decades, one of Florida’s top environmental challenges has been the restoration of the Everglades. It is a perplexing task to meet environmental, economic and human needs for water, all while also preventing flooding around the area. The complexity and enormity of the effort continues to generate heated debate. Fortunately, a variety of plans are being implemented to achieve preservation goals.
A recent Backgrounder released by The James Madison Institute, “Solving the Everglades Riddle,” outlines a brief history of the Florida Everglades and reiterates the importance of restoring this Florida legacy. This education piece provides recommendations for how to continue spending restoration dollars in an efficient and effective manner and addresses the significant progress already made toward improving water quality and quantity in the Everglades and surrounding areas.
See the full list of recommended priorities for continued Everglades ecosystem improvement at
www.jamesmadison.org.
More Than a Century of Growth and Change
As population and economic interests in Florida grew, the Everglades area became desired land. As far back as 1850, the Everglades has been drained to make it viable for settlement, first at the direction of the federal government, then to create opportunities for economic development and adjust for population growth in Florida.
In the 1920s and 1940s, several hurricanes hit this area of Florida leading to massive flooding and thousands of deaths. In response, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was ordered to provide flood control to assist the communities affected, and as a result, the Herbert Hoover Dike was constructed around Lake Okeechobee, along with the addition of several other flood-control mechanisms in Central and South Florida. These large water-control projects altered the Everglades ecosystem. To reverse the adverse effects of the massive public works projects and preserve as much of the remaining Everglades as possible, billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent to secure a balance of maintaining quality of life for residents, while restoring the Everglades.
Several state and federal restoration plans, such as the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan), the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program and others, have provided meaningful results in the journey to restore the Everglades system. What many Floridians may not know is around the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Area, the South Florida Water Management District monitors and tracks the status of more than 60 construction projects, as each area has its own local restoration needs. 
Stakeholders have engaged in thoughtful processes for each plan, as they must be studied, authorized, and then funded before implementation. Continually making changes to these plans, as some have advocated, is not only costly, but also detrimental to a timely conclusion of Everglades restoration.
Spending Taxpayer Dollars Wisely to Achieve Desired Results
The Florida Legislature recently passed “Legacy Florida,” which dedicates additional, reoccurring annual funds toward the multi-billion dollar backlog of projects on existing publicly owned lands for Everglades restoration. More land acquisition is not a viable solution and would be a diversion of restoration efforts requiring taxpayer dollars for both the purchase and ongoing maintenance expenses. The government already owns nearly 30% of all land in Florida for conservation purposes. Buying more would be costly, poor stewardship and an opportunity wasted.
Restoration of the Everglades has been and continues to be a huge undertaking with many moving parts. Floridians should continue to hold policymakers and stakeholders accountable to ensure taxpayer dollars are allocated wisely. Measureable, positive results have already been achieved, and new funding sources will help Florida maintain a steady course toward continued Everglades ecosystem improvement. The future looks bright for this Florida legacy.
Everglades Restoration at a Glance
●  $1.8 billion spent to date by the State of Florida on restoration
●  $938 million spent to date by the federal government on restoration
●  $880 million approved in 2013 by the Florida Legislature for a new plan, “Everglades Restoration Strategies”
●  Amendment 1, recently approved by voters, adds more than $200 million per year in additional, dedicated state funding for the Everglades
●  More than 90% of Everglades water quality restored south of Lake Okeechobee
●  Stormwater Treatment Areas: 57,000 acres of water treatment south of Lake Okeechobee; removed 80% of phosphorus last year
●  Best Management Practices: Partnership with farmers; reduced phosphorus by 79% last year.
Nearly half of the land in South Florida is owned by the government. This costs you money. Watch now to learn more: www.jamesmadison.org

160728-e
Should FPL retire its cooling canals? Report makes the case
Miami Herald - by Mary Ellen Klas, Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
July 28, 2016
TALLAHASSEE - - Florida Power & Light should retire its miles of cooling canals used to cool its Turkey Point nuclear power plant, and replace them with cooling towers that release less pollution into South Florida waterways and use less fresh water, a clean-energy group argued Thursday as part of its campaign to force the utility to reform its practices.
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, which is suing FPL for violating the Clean Water Act, suggests that if the state’s largest electric company replaces its one-of-a-kind canal network, the switch would help Miami-Dade County meet its goal of recycling wastewater and reduce the threat to South Florida’s drinking water supply.
The estimated cost of the change: $59 million to $79 million per year over a 10-year period, an increase of 1.5 percent to 2 percent in the energy costs charged to customers, said Bill Powers, of San Diego-based Powers Engineering, which produced the report for SACE. The project would take about four years to complete, he said.
County environmental regulators have found that the saltier, heavier water flowing from FPL’s nuclear plant through more than 5,900 acres of canals has leaked downward, pushing a line of saltwater inland toward South Florida’s drinking water supply. Regulators also have discovered canal water, laced with non-threatening amounts of radioactive tritium, has leaked into Biscayne Bay.
Replacing the cooling canals with cooling towers is a “no-regret system,” said Dr. Stephen A. Smith, executive director for SACE, an organization that calls the cooling canals “an open industrial sewer, wedged between two national parks.”
The proposal to retire the cooling canals adds ammunition to a resolution passed unanimously by the Miami-Dade County Commission last week asking FPL to stop using the troubled canal system by 2033.
FPL has not agreed to the county’s request. In June it signed a consent order with the state agreeing to clean up the canals within 10 years but keep them operating.
After that, if the company seeks to renew its license for the current nuclear reactors beyond 2033, FPL will consider “any potential alternative cooling technologies, which would logically include cooling towers,” said Peter Robbins, manager of nuclear communications for FPL.
Robbins blasted SACE as an “anti-utility, anti-nuclear political group” that should “not be trusted.”
Powers’ report notes that cooling tower technology is already being used by FPL at its Unit 5, a natural gas plant at the Turkey Point site, and FPL proposed building two cooling towers as a way to handle the heated discharge from two new nuclear units it is proposing to build in the future at Turkey Point, Units 6 and 7.
Miami-Dade County is under a state requirement to recycle 117.5 million gallons of water a day by 2025. The SACE plan calls for replacing the fresh water with reclaimed water, similar to a system that has been in operation for 30 years at the largest nuclear plant in the world, the Palo Verde Nuclear plant near Phoenix, Powers said.

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Solutions for the toxic algae crisis in Florida and beyond
EDF.org – by Karen Chapman
July 28, 2016
For a month now, South Florida Atlantic beaches have been blanketed by a sickly green, toxic algae sludge that has kept tourists away and businesses reeling.
Florida has a bigger headache this summer than most states, but algae blooms are hardly unique.
Last week, more than 100 people were sickened by toxic algae in a Utah lake fed by agricultural runoff and treated sewage water. Algae-soiled beaches are a perennial health threat in China and the Baltic region. And just two summers ago, an outbreak in Lake Erie forced the City of Toledo to ban city water for nearly half a million residents.
We know that climate change is further exacerbating our algae problem – but also that there are ways to reduce the runoff that causes water quality issues and kills marine life, year after year.
Algae blooms can be minimized and maybe even prevented if we scale up existing efforts to improve fertilizer use and soil health management – practices that can also save farmers money and boost their yields.
Two efforts to curb runoff ready to scale
Two initiatives and private-sector partnerships are making significant headway today. If these efforts are replicated at scale, they could have a national – and even international – impact.
Thanks, in large part, to Walmart’s demand for more sustainable grains, food companies such as Campbell’s Soup, Unilever, Smithfield Foods and Kellogg’s are helping the farmers in their supply chain to reduce fertilizer runoff through a rapidly growing program called SUSTAIN.
Spearheaded by the ag retail cooperative United Suppliers, the plan is to have 10 million acres of farmland using best practices for fertilizer management and soil health by 2020.
Precision agriculture tools can help farmers meet the growing demand for sustainably grown grains, but it’s difficult to tell which tools perform as advertised. That’s why we developed NutrientStar, an independent program that assesses the fertilizer efficiency claims of products on the market. 
What will it take?
Supply chains are a powerful tool for igniting change. Companies can signal that fertilizer efficiency and good soil management are not just good for the environment, but also for improving water quality, protecting aquatic species and helping a farmer’s yields and bottom line.
But to get a handle on our growing algae problem in the United States and overseas, there is no one silver bullet.
We need more food companies to embrace sustainable sourcing, ag retailers to replicate the SUSTAIN model in order to reach millions of growers, and farmers to use NutrientStar to understand how tools perform in the field. Agricultural policies must also align with, and accelerate, adoption of conservation best practices.
To turn these initiatives into tangible environmental improvements, we must work with and not against farmers and agribusiness. The people who feed our rapidly growing population – and the companies that support them – are, and must be, our most important allies.
Related:           Florida's Solution To Toxic Algae Blooms? Ease The Rules on Water ...      The Ring of Fire Network

160727-a
Florida's science-based water policy good for short, long term
Orlando Sentinel - Guest column by Steve Crisafulli, former FL House Speaker, represents 51st District, Brevard County
July 27, 2016
Crisafulli: Florida ensures water for future.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of water to our state. Florida requires a clean and abundant water supply to protect our health, grow our food, advance our economy, sustain our natural resources, and support our way of life.
Because water knows no boundaries as it passes freely across geographical and political borders, water policy can be a complicated mix of local, state, and federal rules and laws. Such a dynamic can lead to finger-pointing, buck-passing, or emotional action taken only in times of crisis.
At the state level, Florida has embarked on a different approach.
This year, the Florida Legislature, in cooperation with Gov. Rick Scott, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, Florida's water-management districts, environmental groups such as the Nature Conservancy, the Everglades Foundation, and Audubon Florida, land owners, business groups, and community leaders, passed Senate Bill 552, the first comprehensive water-policy bill in decades.
The bill was crafted based on three ideals gleaned from the broad-based group of water advocates and policymakers: It is comprehensive, adaptable, and has both long-term and short-term strategies. It represents a science-based approach to water policy that requires regional cooperation and appropriate oversight at the state level. Complementing the bill is a significant increase in funding for water improvement and restoration projects across the state.
The bill covers nearly every aspect of water policy, but it can be summarized in four categories.
First, it creates the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act. The act expedites protection and restoration of the water flow and water quality in the aquifer and all 33 of Florida's historic first-magnitude springs including their associated spring runs, as well as De Leon, Peacock, Poe, Rock, Wekiwa and Gemini Springs.
Second, the bill ensures the appropriate governmental entities will continue to develop and implement uniform water-supply planning, consumptive water-use permitting, and resource protection programs for the area encompassed by the Central Florida Water Initiative. The CFWI is a collaborative regional water-supply endeavor to protect, conserve and restore the water resources of Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Polk counties, and southern Lake County.
Third, the bill updates and restructures the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Act to reflect and build upon the Department of Environmental Protection's completion of basin-management action plans for Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee Estuary, and the St. Lucie River and Estuary, DEP's continuing development of a BMAP for the inland portion of the Caloosahatchee River watershed, and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' implementation of best-management practices in the three basins. The BMAPs will include the construction of water projects, water-monitoring programs, and the implementation, verification and enforcement of BMPs within these watersheds.
Fourth, the bill modifies water-supply and resource-planning documents and processes to provide more robust representations of the state's water needs and goals. These changes are intended to make Florida's planning efforts more useful in identifying technically and financially feasible projects to meet the state's water supply needs.
In addition to SB 552, the Legislature also passed the Legacy Florida program, an initiative that will provide clean water to Florida's growing population and aid us in completing the decades-long restoration of the Florida Everglades. To advance the state's commitment to restoring the Greater Everglades, the 2016 Legislature dedicated a minimum of $200 million each year to restore the Florida Everglades. This bill received high praise from the Everglades Foundation, which called it a "sound investment that will protect and preserve America's Everglades, this national treasure."
Our water challenges did not manifest overnight and these efforts will not instantly erase years of mistakes and neglect. However, the work that culminated in SB 552 along with the resolve of future community and government leaders will allow Florida to continue moving forward and building for the future to ensure our water is protected, maintained, and available for future generations.

160727-b
Slimy green beaches may be Florida's new normal
National Geographic - by Laura Parker
July 27, 2016
The guacamole-thick algae that fouled both coasts earlier in July will likely be a regular occurrence for the Sunshine State. Here’s why.
The green slime that washed onto Florida beaches earlier this month marks the eighth time since 2004 that toxic algae have fouled the Sunshine State’s storied coastline.
The algae blooms of 2013 were so severe the event became known as Toxic Summer. And this year’s outbreak has so thoroughly spread through delicate estuaries on both coasts that Florida officials declared a state of emergency in four counties. Toxic sludge has killed fish, shellfish, and at least one manatee and has sickened people who have touched it.
“This is absolutely the worst,” says Evan Miller, an environmental activist and founder of Citizens for Clean Water. Miller lives in the tourist town of Stuart, 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of Miami. “We’ve never seen algae so thick. You can see it from space. There are places in Stuart that are on their third and fourth cycle of blooms now.”
As the latest outbreak continues to play out with sporadic bursts of new algae blooms, dismayed Floridians are wondering if the recurring appearance of this tourist-repelling, fish-killing scum is their new normal.
It may be.
Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, occur naturally and thrive in warm, calm water. Two conditions work against eradicating it: climate change and political inertia.
As the climate warms, toxic algae blooms are proliferating worldwide—from eastern China, which has seen some of the largest algae blooms on Earth, to the American West, where sludge covering almost the entire surface of Lake Utah is raising questions about the safety of fruits and vegetables irrigated with algae-infested water.
Florida, already confronting warmer and wetter days, will surely find itself battling more algae as the climate continues to heat up in the decades to come. But the guacamole-thick sludge that keeps appearing can be blamed more on political inaction.
The state’s current algae problem is rooted in its historic penchant for dredging and filling, which started when its founders began draining the swamp a century ago to create dry, marketable real estate.
Solving the problem is stymied by legislative bickering and warring factions that drive modern Florida’s economy and politics. Few expect environmental restorationists, Big Agriculture, and the residential housing industry to get together and agree to a fix.
“There is no single villain in this nightmare, and not one single thing you can do to make it all better,” says Maggy Hurchalla, a former five-term commissioner from Martin County and the sister of Janet Reno, who served as U.S. Attorney General in the Clinton Administration.
Green Sand, Dead Fish
The algae that paint Florida’s beaches green do not originate in the ocean. The invaders come from Lake Okeechobee, Florida’s largest freshwater lake, which lies 35 miles (56 kilometers) inland from the Atlantic coast.
Once, the Everglades extended from Orlando over most of South Florida to the tip of the peninsula, encompassing Lake Okeechobee. Water trickled slowly and continuously south in a broad, shallow sheet that became known as the River of Grass.
But as Florida’s founders built hundreds of miles of canals to siphon water away from the interior, they forever changed the natural flow patterns. That laid the foundation for a host of environmental problems that bedevil South Florida and its eight million residents—many of them in suburbs that would not exist if the land had remained sodden.
For one, the massive re-engineering cut Lake Okeechobee off from the rest of the Everglades. The lake was further isolated in the 1930s, when it was encircled by a 143-mile (230-kilometers) earthen dike, constructed to prevent the kind of flooding that killed 2,500 people in a 1928 hurricane.
Today, the lake is bordered by cattle farms to the north and sugar cane fields to the south, and it absorbs agricultural runoff from both directions. That helps make Okeechobee a perfect algae nursery. It is broad, shallow, and full of nitrogen and phosphorous—the kinds of nutrients that nourish massive algae blooms.
Lake Okeechobee is also a perfect launch pad for spreading green sludge to coastal beaches. The lake can gain two to three feet of rainfall during a normal wet season, and the only way to drain off excess water is to pump billions of gallons to both coasts through canals carved decades ago.
To get to the ocean, this algae-filled water must pass through the St. Lucie River Estuary and the Indian River Lagoon on the Atlantic coast and the Caloosahatchee River on the Gulf coast.
“They opened the gates and dumped it on us,” Miller says. “You could watch the algae moving down the canal.”
Adding to the region’s woes, deterioration of the aging dike around the lake, now in the midst of an $880-million, 18-year repair to shore it up, has prompted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep the lake level lower than normal.
Heavy El Niño rains last winter created what Col. Jason Kirk, the Corps’ district commander in Jacksonville, calls “a challenging year.” So much rain and runoff flowed into Lake Okeechobee that it could have covered the state of Delaware in two feet (0.6 meter) of water.
The Corps began lowering the lake on January 30, months earlier than usual, and by early May, the first algae blooms covered 33 square miles (85 square kilometers) of its surface. Today they cover 239 square miles (619 square kilometers)—almost a third of the lake.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection collected water samples and found algae blooms in 44 separate locations across a swath of South Florida that extends from Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast to Palm Beach on the Atlantic coast. As of July 20, toxins were detected in 34 samples. Of those, 12 were considered toxic enough to present a health risk.
The Corps began reducing the discharge out of the lake on July 1. But it has few options to control algae other than to try and slow the flow of water into the estuaries. It is hurricane season, and the lake level has to be kept low enough to absorb not only summer rainfall, but also a blow from a hurricane.
Loudest Scream
Environmentalists, joined now by angry owners of tourist-dependent businesses, say the problem could be solved if Florida would buy land south of the lake and create a storage pond for excess water. The pond would also serve as a filter to cleanse water of pollutants before it is sent south into the Everglades instead of into coastal estuaries, helping restore at least part of the original flow.
Florida collects $700 million a year from real estate transaction fees, and in 2014, Florida voters approved by a margin of 75 percent an amendment to the state constitution requiring at least a third of that money be set aside to buy or restore recreation and conservation lands such as the storage pond.
Environmental activists complain that lawmakers have ignored the vote and instead spent the money on programs normally funded by Florida’s general fund. Last March, Earthjustice Florida, an environmental law firm, sued the Florida legislature, citing in court papers a dozen examples where the real estate tax receipts were used to pay for salaries, insurance, equipment, and other costs. The legislature, in response, argued the expenditures were an acceptable use of the money. A ruling is expected later this year.
“The citizens who voted for this are totally upset,” says Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society. “The legislature is hijacking the funds for other purposes and not using it to buy land. We need to reestablish the missing link between the lake and the Everglades.”
As the algae crisis unfolded in the St. Lucie River Estuary, Citizens for Clean Water staged a protest on the beach near Stuart and formed a human chain to spell out the words "buy the land." The Martin County Sheriff’s office tweeted an aerial photo of the human sign, with the comment, “3500 people and a message that anybody can understand.”
Florida Governor Rick Scott blamed the algae outbreak on the federal government for failing to repair the dike in a timely fashion, and urged that the project be sped up so that the ideal lake level could once again rise. To clean up runoff into the lake, Scott also said he would ask the legislative to approved additional funds for a voluntary program that encourages homeowners to shift from septic tanks to sewer systems to help curb pollution entering the Lake Okeechobee. He did not say how much such a conversion would cost or which communities would be involved.
Larry Brand, a marine biologist at the University of Miami, says he’s skeptical that the sugar industry will sell enough land for large storage and filtering ponds, and he calls the governor’s septic tank conversion a “diversionary tactic” to keep from focusing on the real issue: preventing the pollutants from getting into Lake Okeechobee in the first place. He also concedes that lawmakers are unlikely to write more stringent water quality regulations.
“There is no short-term answer to this,” he says. “The Corps is trying to hold back some water up north to reduce the water coming into the lake. No matter which way that water goes, it creates problems. It is a case of who screams the loudest.”

160727-c
Stay away from the water: In Florida, a $10 million give to fight toxic algae
InsidePhilantropy – by Alyssa Ochs
July 27, 2016
Algae isn’t’ just unsightly, it can actually be deadly because of a phenomenon called phosphorous pollution. Algae accumulates in thick patches at the water’s surface, blocking sunlight from reaching aquatic plants. It’s also toxic to human health and makes waterways inhospitable for marine life.
Lately, algae is everywhere in Florida, creating lots of misery for waterfront home owners and recreationists. 
Removing the phosphorous that creates these toxic algal blooms is no easy thing, and it's a challenge that is daunting for even the most passionate and well-trained conservationists. But one foundation in Florida is hoping to entice new innovators to the problem with a $10 million prize.
The Everglades Foundation is based in Palmetto Bay, Florida and as the name suggests, is solely dedicated to protecting and restoring America’s Everglades. Although this environmental problem exists in many places around the world, this prize is geared towards saving the Everglades, and then perhaps taking it beyond.
Ultimately, the big goal, here, is to keep costs as low as possible while removing as much phosphorus from the water as possible—at less than $120 per kilogram. Removing phosphorous and algae is a long, complicated, and costly process, but the Everglades Foundation is willing to bet that someone out there can come up with a better way.
“It’s going to be hard to get there, but we trust that someone somewhere has the capabilities,” said Melodie Naja, chief scientist at the foundation.
This is a really important issue for groups in Florida in particular, because of Lake Okeechobee. This is the biggest freshwater lake in the state and its toxic algae bloom has spread across an area of at least 33 miles. Agricultural runoff and dumped sewage is what typically causes these algae blooms, and why they’re so harmful to the land and people who live nearby.
Innovators, researchers, students and scientists are invited to enter the contest for this prize by showcasing promising early-stage technologies. You’ll need to describe your experiment design and demonstrate how your plan will reduce phosphorus concentrations in water. Details about the application procedure can be found on the Barley Prize site.
In the winter, the Everglades Foundation plans to award $35,000 to a few teams that demonstrate good ideas, which will then have to demonstrate more specifically how their technology works. After four stages of the competition, one grand prize will be awarded for the most promising idea.
In other news, the Everglades Foundation is also accepting applications for its 2017 grant cycle. It’s looking for grantees that highlight the importance of restoring the Everglades, employ advocacy campaigns and broaden the base of support to other groups besides environmental organizations. The deadline to submit a proposal is September 1, 2016.

160727-f
The paranoid style and the algae problem
Naples Daily News – Commentary by Brant Schirard, Vice president, Florida Farm Bureau Federation
July 27, 2016
Columbia University scholar Richard Hofstader once described a type of polarizing rhetoric that emerges from time to time in the public life of our society. He characterized the phenomenon as the “paranoid style in American politics.”
This mode of expression relies upon heated exaggeration and draws images of conspiratorial fantasy to push the public into accepting extreme interpretations of events or circumstances.
Such a style has unfortunately appeared in recent discourse over massive blooms of algae in southern Florida. Anyone who lives near the St. Lucie or Caloosahatchee estuaries or visits the areas these days recognizes that the algae have created an environmental emergency. But the cause of the blooms is another matter.
In the midst of widespread concern, reliable scientific evidence available has been overlooked. That evidence points toward a discomforting conclusion: the water problem in southern Florida has been created by a combination of conditions that are difficult to manage, not by a single source or a particular group of people.
Professor Brian Lapointe of Florida Atlantic University has studied nitrogen concentrations in the Indian River Lagoon for several years and published a research paper. His meticulous sampling and measurement of the lagoon have generated definitive results. According to Lapointe, “In the case of the urbanized Indian River Lagoon, our results indicate that wastewater, and OSTDS (on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems) in particular, is the major nitrogen source.”
In other words, septic tank units in the local community contaminate the surrounding environment with excess nitrogen. Lapointe’s studies show that human waste, not water from agricultural properties, constitutes the prime source of nutrients sustaining algae blooms.
Reinforcing his finding is the fact that blooms have also occurred at times when water from Lake Okeechobee did not flow into east Florida’s coastal region. In 2014, for example, the Army Corps of Engineers released no lake water, yet the area experienced algae outbreaks.
What makes this problem all the more vexing is that no one can fix it quickly. State officials advise that any form of treatment for the algae is potentially dangerous. They also admit that no large scale treatment exists to clean up the blooms.
So, out of frustration, some people look for scapegoats. They point to farm families in the interior of the peninsula as the responsible parties involved. What this reaction offers is the paranoid style Hofstader lamented.
All reliable evidence indicates that most farmers and ranchers have been excellent water stewards. Agricultural water use per farm is substantially declining, while urban consumption is steadily increasing. State officials who measure water use at farm sites report that outstanding conservation practices on these properties conserve more than 11 billion gallons of freshwater each year.
Agricultural producers are also implementing techniques that improve water quality. The South Florida Water Management District recently reported that farms in the Everglades Agricultural Area slashed phosphorus content in water leaving their acreage by 70 percent in one year.
The very operation of farms and ranches maintains freshwater recharge areas, wildlife habitat and greenspace. Water storage on these lands will likely become critical for ecosystem management as well as urban water supply in the future. As Charles Lee of Audubon Florida has said, “We think the farmers are the potential salvation of these systems simply because their land areas are so large and the capacity they have to hold water on their land is so great.” (Florida Agriculture, 2014)
Farms are our sources of food and renewal. The overwhelming majority of families that own them are doing their part every day to conserve natural resources. They are the best hope we have for the future sustainability of Florida’s natural abundance.
A comprehensive solution to algae blooms will only be possible by working together. Unfounded accusations will not help us tackle a complex public issue.

160727-e
U.S. Sugar officials say buying more farm land doesn’t equal more water flowing into Everglades
Florida Politics – by Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
July 27, 2016
Buying land south of Lake Okeechobee may be a popular proposal to help solve South Florida’s water woes, but U.S. Sugar officials said it wouldn’t necessarily mean more water would flow to the Everglades.
“Simply buying more farmland does not equate to more water flowing into the Everglades nor would it significantly reduce the discharges to the estuaries during historic wet events like 2013 and 2016,” said Judy Sanchez, the senior director of corporate communications and public affairs for U.S. Sugar.
Calls to buy land south of Lake Okeechobee have ramped up in recent months, as communities in Southwest Florida and the Treasure Coast deal with the effects of discharges. The Army Corps of Engineers began sending water down the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers earlier this year, after a wetter-than-normal January. The discharges have been blamed for the algae blooms that have clogged Treasure Coast waterways for weeks.
In a memo Tuesday, Sanchez said South Florida Water Management District data shows “a significant portion of water” that entered Lake Okeechobee has been sent south. Sanchez said that illustrates “there is water flowing south when the Everglades system has the capacity to accept additional water flow.”
Sanchez said the data also showed communities south of Lake Okeechobee have been responsible for “4 percent of all total inflows into the lake since January.” She also said a significant portion of runoff into the estuaries has come from local basins.
The cause of the pollution flowing into the estuaries has been a point of contention. Some put the blame primarily on Lake Okeechobee, while others said other factors, like septic systems, shoulder some of the blame.
The debate over how best to clean up the rivers and estuaries will surely come up during the 2017 legislative session. Gov. Rick Scott has said he plans to include money in his proposed budget for programs to encourage residents to move from septic tanks to sewer systems to curb pollution.
The issue also will have a champion in Senate President Designate Joe Negron. The Stuart Republican has said solving water quality problems will be a top priority during his two-year term.

160727g
Watchdog group: Army Corps not compliant with management rules
News-Press – by Chad Gillis
July 27, 2016
A Congressional watchdog group says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs to better review and document the conditions of more than 700 water compounds the agency oversees, including the dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee.
Government Accountability Office (GAO-16-685: Published: Jul 26, 2016. Publicly Released: Additional Steps Needed for Review and Revision of Water Control Manuals
Jul 26, 2016.
What GAO Found
According to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) officials, the agency conducts ongoing, informal reviews of selected water control manuals and has revised some of them, but the extent of the reviews and revisions is unclear because they are not documented or tracked, respectively. The Corps' engineer regulations state that water control manuals should be reviewed no less than every 10 years so that they can be revised as necessary. However, officials from all 15 districts GAO interviewed said they do not document informal reviews of water control manuals because they consider such reviews part of the daily routine of operating projects. The Corps does not have guidance, consistent with federal standards for internal control, on what activities constitute a review or how to document the results of reviews. Without such guidance, the Corps does not have reasonable assurance that it will consistently conduct reviews and document them to provide a means to retain organizational knowledge. The Corps' engineer regulations also state that water control manuals shall be revised as needed, but the extent to which manuals have been revised or need revision remains unknown because the Corps' divisions do not track consistent information about manuals. For example, based on GAO's review of the Corps' documents, one of the eight divisions tracked whether the water control plans in its water control manuals reflected actual operations of a project, but the remaining seven did not. While the Corps has revised certain water control manuals as called for by its regulations, district officials GAO interviewed said additional manuals need revision. However, the Corps does not track consistent information on manuals needing revision, in accordance with federal internal control standards. Without tracking which manuals need revision, it is difficult for the Corps to know the universe of projects that may not be operating in a way that reflects current conditions as called for in the Corps' engineer regulations.
The Corps has efforts under way to improve its ability to respond to extreme weather, including developing a strategy to revise drought contingency plans and studying the use of forecasting to make decisions on project operations. To better respond to drought, the Corps is developing a strategy to analyze drought contingency plans in its water control manuals to account for a changing climate. As of May 2016, the Corps was conducting, as a pilot, updates of five projects' drought contingency plans to help test methods and tools for future use in other plans. The Corps is also studying the use of forecasting tools to improve water supply and flood control operations at two projects in California by evaluating if they can retain storm water for future supply as long as the retained water can safely be released, if necessary, prior to the next storm. Knowledgeable stakeholders GAO interviewed said it is important for the Corps to consider forecast-based operations at its projects to help ensure efficient operations and to be able to respond to changing patterns of precipitation. Corps officials said the agency may consider doing so once the two California projects are completed in 2017.
Why GAO Did This Study
The Corps owns and operates water resource projects, including more than 700 dams and their associated reservoirs across the country, for such purposes as flood control, hydropower, and water supply. To manage and operate each project, the Corps' districts use water control manuals to guide project operations. These manuals include water control plans that describe the policies and procedures for deciding how much water to release from reservoirs. However, many of the Corps' projects were built more than 50 years ago, and stakeholders have raised concerns that these manuals have not been revised to account for changing conditions.
The Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 included a provision for GAO to study the Corps' reviews of project operations, including whether practices could better prepare the agency for extreme weather. This report (1) examines the extent to which the Corps has reviewed or revised selected water control manuals and (2) describes the Corps' efforts to improve its ability to respond to extreme weather. GAO reviewed the Corps' guidance on project operations; examined agency practices; and interviewed Corps officials from headquarters, all 8 divisions, and 15 districts—selected, in part, on regional differences in weather conditions.
What GAO Recommends
GAO recommends that the Corps develop guidance on what constitutes a water control manual's review and how to document it and track which manuals need revision. The agency concurred with the recommendations.
For more information, contact Anne-Marie Fennell at (202) 512-3841 or fennella@gao.gov.

160726-a
Army Corps proposes new solution to toxic algae
WPBF.com
Jul 26, 2016
Martin County officials: toxins also now in our air
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. —A crowd packed in to a conference room in Okeechobee Tuesday night to hear the Army Corps of Engineers’ latest proposed solution to the problem of toxic algae in Florida’s waters.
There were so many people trying to get into the meeting, half of them had to wait outside.
Inside, the Army Corps introduced the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project.
Many people believe the algae blooms are caused by discharges from Lake Okeechobee. The Army Corps has said the discharges are necessary to control the levels of the lake and protect the dike around the lake.
The Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project suggests storing more water north of the lake will reduce the amount that needs to be discharged.
“We’re focused here on creating that north of the lake storage as kind of a long term solution for the problem,” said Tim Gysan, the project manager.
Most of the people at the meeting applauded the idea, but were discouraged to hear it called a long term solution.
“If you can maybe speed up the progress,” Ramon Iglesias said during public comment. “It’s time to move it forward.”
The Army Corps, though, said this project would take at least three years just to develop a plan they can present to Congress.
Meanwhile, in Martin County on Tuesday, county commissioners revealed results of air quality around the blue-green algae. Those results showed the toxins from the water are now also in the air.
“They do seem like low levels, but really, we in Martin County, we’re waiting for full analysis by the Department of Health and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection,” said Deborah Drum, a county environmental official.
Drum said there are no set standards for these kinds of toxins in the air, so there’s no way to know just how dangerous it is to be around blue green algae.

160726-b
Florida DEP says feds have ‘confirmed’ rules to increase toxins in water
Bradenton Herald - by Mary Ellen Klas, Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
July 26, 2016
On the eve of a decision by the Environmental Regulation Commission to increase the allowable level of many toxins in Florida's drinking water, Florida's environmental secretary said that the federal government has "confirmed every change is in line with its own recommendations."
“Our number one priority is to continuously protect and preserve the health of Florida’s families, visitors and incredible natural resources,'' wrote Department of Environmental Regulation Secretary Jon Steverson in a statement released late Monday.
"It is with this mission in mind, that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, alongside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are strengthening Florida's water-quality standards. Moving forward with the proposed criteria will nearly double the number of chemicals that the department will be able to regulate using stringent and protective criteria so we can continue to provide better public health protection for our state."
Meanwhile, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, an environmental group, sent a letter urging the panel to reject the new rules.
"When it comes to the release of dangerous pollutants into our water supply It is important that we proceed with the utmost caution,'' wrote Laura Reynolds, an energy and water speciialist with the group. "Many of these chemicals are highly carcinogenic, and may result in the development of cancer clusters (geographic areas in which a greater-than-expected number of people develop malignant cancers) in some communities."
Here's more of the DEP statement and the Q and A that followed:
"I’ve been in contact with the federal EPA, which has confirmed every change is in line with its own recommendations,'' Steverson said. Furthermore, each and every criterion protects Floridians, according to both the EPA and the World Health Organization.”
Is DEP weakening standards?
Absolutely not. DEP and EPA are strengthening Florida's water quality standards, not weakening them. Moving forward with the proposed criteria is critical to better protect Floridians’ health because the criteria nearly doubles the number of chemicals that the department will be able to regulate. The proposed rule sets stringent and protective criteria for 39 chemicals that currently have no limits.
In addition, this rule includes updates for 43 chemicals whose standards are more than 20 years old. Both the new and updated criteria have been calculated using the most advanced science, including recently issued guidance from the EPA. Each and every criterion protects Floridians, according to both EPA and the World Health Organization.
Why is DEP updating these standards?
Florida’s current standards were last updated in 1992. Under the federal Clean Water Act, states are required to periodically review standards publicly and modify and adopt changes as appropriate. To meet this requirement and to incorporate new data released by EPA last summer, DEP is working to update these criteria based on this new scientific information.
Is it true that the 39 additional chemicals are not currently allowed in Florida’s waters and that these standards will now allow them in our surface waters?
This is simply not true; in fact, the opposite is the case. There are currently no standards in place to allow DEP to directly regulate these 39 additional chemicals. This is exactly why it is so important for these standards to be adopted. The new standards will provide the basis for permit limits for these chemicals in surface water discharges from permitted facilities. In addition, the new criteria will provide critical information for water-quality assessments, which take into account these chemicals and target them for restoration.
What are Human Health Criteria?
Human Health Criteria are health-based water-quality standards the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) set to ensure Floridians can continue to safely eat Florida’s seafood, and swim and drink potable water from state surface waters.
Why didn't DEP just adopt EPA's numbers?
EPA's guidance and recommendation to states is to develop criteria that “use local or regional data in place of EPA’s default value.” DEP’s proposed criteria take into account how, and how much, Floridians eat seafood, drink, shower and swim, and set the limits necessary to protect Floridians from adverse health effects. The criteria consider a range of environmental variables specific to Florida and account for the most at-risk populations, including young children, pregnant women and those whose diets comprise primarily of Florida seafood. Each and every criterion protects Floridians, according to both EPA and the World Health Organization.
Why do some of EPA’s and DEP’s limits go up, while some go down?
Both the new and updated criteria have been calculated using the most advanced science, including recently issued guidance from the EPA for updating 43 chemicals whose standards are more than 20 years old. While EPA and DEP’s chemical limits go up and down based on new data and science, each and every criterion protects Floridians, according to both EPA and the World Health Organization.
How were the proposed criteria calculated?
EPA issued new scientific recommendations in 2015, based on national water quality trends as well as averages for factors such as human weight and water use. The department is required to follow EPA’s science while also accounting for Florida’s specific water chemistry and population.
DEP’s proposed criteria take into account how, and how much, Floridians eat seafood, drink, shower and swim, and set the limits necessary to protect Floridians from adverse health effects. The criteria consider a range of environmental variables and account for the most at-risk populations, including young children, pregnant women and those whose diets comprise primarily of Florida seafood.
Are these criteria less protective than EPA’s?
Each and every one of Florida’s proposed criterion protects Floridians, according to both EPA and the World Health Organization. The criteria are consistent with level of protection contained in EPA’s recommendations.
Did any outside experts weigh in on the development of these criteria?
To help develop our criteria, DEP received direct input from a seven-member scientific review panel, that provided comments and recommendations on our technical and scientific approach. This panel included representatives from the EPA, the Florida Department of Health, four different Florida universities and the California Environmental Protection Agency. DEP is following the panel’s recommendations.
What did DEP do to engage and inform the public?
DEP’s nationally recognized scientists have worked diligently since 2012 to develop the proposed Florida-specific human health criteria. These criteria have been calculated based on the best science available, guidance from EPA and a scientific peer review panel, and input from the public.
Since 2012, the department has held 11 public workshops/meetings at a variety of locations across Florida as part of this rulemaking. These included public workshops in West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tallahassee, Leesburg, Fort Myers and Stuart.
There was also public participation in the public meeting for the Human Health Criteria Peer Review Committee in 2012, which discussed the methodology to derive the criteria in detail.
All parties that requested notification of rulemaking activities and updates as part of our interested parties list were also sent notices via email notifying them of the public meetings. Through this effort, the department has regularly communicated with more than 1,000 individuals, organizations and stakeholders to provide updates and solicit feedback.
Are these standards being changed to cater to industry or allow fracking?
No, this update stems from requirements under the Clean Water Act as well as the new EPA guidance. It is not in response to any specific industry or practice and has nothing to do with hydraulic fracturing.
Why aren’t some chemicals such as arsenic and dioxin being updated?
EPA did not update either of these chemicals in its 2015 guidance; however, Floridians clearly remain protected from arsenic and dioxin, two chemicals that are currently regulated in Florida – at EPA’s specified levels – under the Clean Water Act. DEP will continue to collect data and update Florida’s surface water criteria, including human health criteria, when valid scientific information is available.
What are the next steps in the process?
The proposed standards will go before the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission (ERC) for approval. Public participation is part of this hearing process. If adopted, the criteria will then go to EPA for final review and approval.
Related:           Benzene In Water Debated In Florida           Water Online (press release)
Florida Could Allow More Cancer-Causing Chemicals in State Water         Miami New Timesago
Proposal to ease restrictions on toxic chemical levels in Florida ...    WPEC
Panel may allow higher levels of chemicals in FL water        WTSP.com

160726-d
Sanders says climate change is a central election issue
Scientific American - by Evan Lehmann, ClimateWire
July 26, 2016
And Democratic leaders think younger voters will respond.
PHILADELPHIA—Billionaire climate advocate Tom Steyer believes young Americans will cast more votes this year based on rising temperatures than in past presidential elections.
In an interview with ClimateWire last night, the founder of NextGen Climate also downplayed the idea of placing a price on carbon dioxide and dismissed the notion of swapping the Clean Power Plan for a carbon tax.
“That’s a huge wedge issue,” Steyer said of young voters’ concern about climate change. “I think it’s a critical issue as to whether they turn out.”
NextGen is spending more than $25 million to encourage millennials to vote in November. Young adults currently account for the largest and most diverse population in the United States, and Steyer believes that could help Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump on Nov. 8.
Separately, Steyer’s group is partnering with five different unions to canvass working-class and minority neighborhoods, where the issue of climate change could help compel young voters to turn out this fall. Large percentages of African Americans and Latinos believe that global warming is occurring, and Steyer’s group is trying to turn those concerns into electoral action.
“We’re spending a lot of time trying to do voter-to-voter contact in the swing states, trying to make sure they are aware of the facts, know the difference between the candidates and know how important their vote is,” Steyer said.
Inside the Wells Fargo Center last night, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and other speakers raised their own concerns about climbing temperatures on the first day of the Democratic National Convention.
“This election is about climate change, the greatest environmental crisis facing our planet,” Sanders told the audience packing the basketball arena.
“Hillary Clinton is listening to the scientists who tell us that—unless we act boldly and transform our energy system in the very near future—there will be more drought, more floods, more acidification of the oceans, more rising sea levels. She understands that when we do that, we can create hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs,” he said. “Donald Trump? Well, like most Republicans, he chooses to reject science. He believes that climate change is a ‘hoax,’ no need to address it.”
Trump aims for Bernie supporters
Last night’s program also included a short video on climate change and its impact on the Everglades.
“The effects of climate change can no longer be ignored,” the narrator in the video said, noting that warming threatens seagrass and mangroves in the Everglades, which absorb carbon. It touted the Obama administration’s $2.2 billion funding for restoration of the Everglades, which among other things will help improve the local drinking water supply.
The video was followed by a speech from Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the lone senator to endorse Sanders during the presidential primary campaign. He said Sanders “emboldened us” to push for 100 percent renewables but added, “We need to fight together with Bernie and Hillary.”
Meanwhile, Trump reveled in the disunity being broadcast from Philadelphia on his first day of stumping on the campaign trail since the GOP convention closed Thursday.
“They’re having massive protests over there,” Trump told a mostly full auditorium in Winston-Salem, N.C. “We had a great convention. It shows you what law and order can do.”
Trump accused Clinton of betraying Sanders and his supporters by picking Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) as her running mate. He called Kaine “the opposite of Bernie” because of his support of trade deals.
“Bernie’s giving up, and I never thought I’d see that,” Trump said. “We’re going to get Bernie people coming over to us.”
Numerous speakers, though not Trump himself, invoked the image of Clinton going to prison, inspiring chants of “Lock her up!”
Steyer’s comments in Philadelphia underscored the need for congressional action to help fund clean energy programs. Steyer’s group wants to see the United States derive half of its energy from clean sources by 2030, a goal that’s unlikely to be met without bipartisan support in Washington.
“This is not happening without the United States government determining that it has to happen,” Steyer said. “This is a societywide [and] an urgent priority. And if we intend to solve it, it’s with societywide, urgent activity, you know, government-led. Otherwise, we’re not going to succeed.”
Steyer also dismissed the idea of swapping the Clean Power Plan for a carbon tax, a concept favored by several conservative and libertarian think tanks.
“I don’t think that’s the right way to think about it,” he said. “Look, we need to have the overall plan that takes into account the actual urgency and actually solves the problem. There are a number of ways to get there. But there’s no way to get through all these hypotheticals going forward.”

160725-b
Port St. Lucie continues water quality testing; More samples needed before drawing conclusions - Initial results positive
WPTV.com – by Jon Shainman
Jul 25, 2016
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Monday, Port St. Lucie crews collected samples from more than a dozen sites along the St. Lucie river, and in neighboring canals.  It’s part of a yearlong study that began last month looking for microbial bacteria, the kind found in human and animal waste.  
“(In the first tests last month), the tracers for human DNA, we didn’t identify that.  It didn’t show up in the first round of sampling," said Public Works Director Jim Angstadt.
Angstadt says while certain spots had higher bacteria concentrations, it’s premature to draw any conclusions from one round of tests.
“We’re hoping that after the third round of sampling we’ll get some professionals together," added Angstadt.
That third round of tests will happen in August, then three more rounds of sampling during the winter dry season will give the city a template to work with.
These tests come as the state prepares to vote Tuesday on new water pollution standards.
The Department of Environmental Protection is updating what’s safe for human health for 43 chemical compounds it regulates, and creating standards for another 39.  
“I don’t like to see Florida weaken any standards," said Port St. Lucie Mayor Greg Oravec, who added he's concerned the state could allow higher limits for some toxic substances.
“Our lifeblood is water whether it’s the springs or the Kissimmee River watershed flowing to Lake O and the Everglades.  Florida is all about the water," said the mayor.
On its website, the DEP claims it is not weakening any standards and that Floridians will still be protected.  The state’s Environmental Regulation Commission could adopt the standards Tuesday and send them on to the EPA for final approval.

160725-c
Tim Canova attacks Debbie Wasserman-Schultz's record on Big Sugar  
PolitiFact - by Amy Sherman
July 25th, 2016
A nasty-looking toxic algae bloom on Florida’s coasts has oozed into political races, including U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Democratic primary.
Her opponent, Tim Canova, toured the mucky scene in Stuart wearing a surgical mask. He says that Wasserman Schultz shares in the blame for the algae that extends from Lake Okeechobee to Florida coastlines on the Treasure Coast and west coast.
Canova said Wasserman Schultz, who represents South Florida, has sided with the main polluters of the water that flows into the Everglades: the sugar industry.
Wasserman Schultz doesn’t "want us to know that she has voted for huge subsidies for the sugar industry and other agribusinesses, as well as for delays in cleanups, while failing to deliver federal funds for any real solution," he said on Medium July 9.
Wasserman Schultz defended her environmental record to the Sun Sentinel, concluding, "I will continue to walk the walk on fighting to restore our precious River of Grass while my opponent just continues to talk."
Time for PolitiFact Florida to weigh in.
Algae and Big Sugar
Everybody agrees that the algae is bad for the environment and business. But they disagree on who is to blame.
Pollution from fertilizer, manure and septic waste from suburbs and farms poured into Lake Okeechobee. That pollution stimulated the growth of algae, so when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released water from the lake to avoid a breach of the surrounding dike, the algae-ridden water traveled to other waters in Florida.
Some politicians blame the federal government for the water release as well as its failure to raise the dike. Others blame the state of Florida for siding with the sugar industry and resisting calls to redirect water through sugar land.
In Florida, Big Sugar has given generously to state and local politicians and to federal candidates, including Wasserman Schultz.
"The sugar industry is completely ambidextrous as far as its ability to penetrate the Republican and Democratic camps," said Charles Lee, director of advocacy for Audubon Florida.
Everglades delay vote
Canova’s campaign points to Wasserman Schultz’s vote in the state Senate to delay Everglades cleanup and to votes on two farm bills while in Congress.
In 2003, then state Sen. Wasserman Schultz voted to delay for seven years the requirement for sugar companies to clean up polluted discharges that had hurt the Everglades. It passed the state Senate 38-0 and the House 96-18, and Gov. Jeb Bush signed it into law. The well-financed sugar industry fought for the delay, while environmental groups opposed it.
Two days later, Wasserman Schultz changed her vote to "no" because she said she was "betrayed and misled" about the facts. The Senate passed amendments that they believed were offered by the U.S. Justice Department but had actually been written by state environmental officials. Changing a vote is ceremonial only and carries zero practical effect -- except public relations.
Ryan Banfill, Wasserman Schultz’s spokesman, said that she initially supported the bill because it included a provision to buy sugar lands for filtration and was better than a 20-year-delay alternative.
Sugar votes in Congress
Canova’s campaign also says Wasserman Schultz supported the sugar industry because of her votes to renew the 1981 Farm Bill in 2008 and 2014. The legislation is a sweeping bill that funds an array of nutrition and agriculture programs for multiple years.
So if Wasserman Schultz voted against the farm bill, she would have also voted against food stamps, assistance to food banks and economic development programs in rural areas such as providing broadband internet service. But if Wasserman Schultz had opposed the sugar portion of the bills she could have said so and she didn’t, Canova’s campaign said.
The farm bill gives lucrative benefits to the sugar industry. Specifically, it gives loans to processors and limits sugar imports to the United States. The government can also buy the surplus sugar and sell it for ethanol production.
These benefits amount to market controls that reduce the supply of sugar, thus making it more expensive, said Josh Sewell, a policy analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that is critical of the sugar policy.
The industry disagrees with the term "subsidy."
"A direct subsidy -- a check -- we do not get that," said Ryan Weston, executive vice president of the Florida Sugarcane League.
But Sewell said the price controls, marketing allotments and limits on imports are all government manipulations designed to provide an economic benefit to a set group and function as subsidies.
"Any governmental action that reduces the cost of doing business or increases prices beyond the normal functioning of a free market is a subsidy," he said. "In this case consumers, food manufacturers, and sugar producers outside of the United States are on the losing end."
The industry argues it needs the aid to compete globally with other countries that subsidize sugar and that the aid helps save jobs. Critics, including candy companies and consumer watchdogs, argue that it drives up prices for consumers and amounts to corporate welfare.
In recent years, there have been several national proposals by Democrats and Republicans to change the sugar program, but votes are rare.
In June 2013, however, the House and Senate voted on sugar amendments that would have scaled back the industry’s benefits. The amendments failed in both chambers with Wasserman Schultz voting "no."
Most of the Florida delegation voted against the amendment, including both of Florida’s senators Marco Rubio, a Republican, and Bill Nelson, a Democrat.
Banfill said Wasserman Schultz voted against the amendment because she said it would keep the market stable, protect American jobs and maintain the program allowing the government to buy and then sell surplus sugar to ethanol producers.
Lee, of Audubon Florida, says Wasserman Schultz isn’t alone in her support of the federal government’s sugar policy: "The same attack could be applied to virtually every member of Congress from Florida and it could be applied to virtually every member of the Legislature."
Banfill pointed to other efforts by Wasserman Schultz to clean up the Everglades and her 92 percent lifetime rating from the League of Conservation Voters. She has supported a clean water rule proposed by the EPA and helped get the authorization included in the budget for multiple segments of the Tamiami Trail to restore natural water flow to part of the Everglades. She is one of many cosponsors of the Central Everglades Planning Project that includes restoration projects but hasn’t received a vote yet.
Those are all steps that could help the Everglades and the environment, but the sugar industry’s benefits from the government remain in place.
"Yes, these positions were important and significant," Lee said. "However, these positions did not really challenge the sugar industry. On core issues for ‘big sugar’ they have her support."
This is no different from every other major political leader in Florida, he added.
Our ruling
Canova said Wasserman Schultz "has voted for huge subsidies for the sugar industry ... as well as for delays in cleanups."
In 2003, while in the state Senate, Wasserman Schultz was part of a unanimous vote for a seven-year delay to clean up the Everglades. Canova omits that two days later she changed her vote, but the vote had no practical effect and the measure passed anyway.
Canova also said Wasserman Schultz voted to subsidize the sugar industry when she voted for the farm bill in 2008 and 2014. The farm bills didn’t contain actual cash subsidies, but they clearly contained lucrative benefits for the industry. The farm bill is a sweeping bill that benefits a long list of programs -- not just sugar.
Wasserman Schultz has taken other steps to support Everglades cleanup. But Canova’s point about her specific actions is largely accurate.
We rate this claim Mostly True.

160724-a
Lake Erie, S. Florida algae crises share common toxins and causes
The Blade - by Tom Henry, Staff Writer
July 24, 2016
Several parallels exist between the putrid algae that has sickened South Florida and the green goop that has appeared in western Lake Erie nearly every summer since 1995.
Florida’s Lake Okeechobee and western Lake Erie are both huge, but shallow, bodies of water. That shallowness keeps Lake Okeechobee warm year-round. It allows western Lake Erie to warm up relatively quickly each spring.
Both are especially prone to algal growth because of heavy agricultural runoff that gets into their tributaries.
In Lake Okeechobee’s case, the Kissimmee River south of Orlando carries a large influx of nutrients, many from cattle ranches where nutrients flow off land much as they do off corn fields in northwest Ohio, where a combination of synthetic fertilizers and soil soaked with animal manure gets into the Maumee River, the Sandusky River, and other area streams during heavy rains.
Both areas have problems from housing subdivisions, strip malls, and other forms of urban sprawl added to their soupy messes, including sewage overflows, street runoff, and releases from bad septic systems. Florida environmental groups also claim there’s a huge impact from the state’s powerful sugar industry near Lake Okeechobee.
Experts see parallels between Lake Okeechobee and Lake Erie in terms of missed warning signs, delayed action, and a political tug-of-war that has pitted the powerful agricultural industry against the tourism and recreation industries.
“In the grand scheme of things, it’s all the same: fertilizers,” says Bill Mitsch, an Ohio State University professor emeritus who now serves as Everglades Wetland Research Park eminent scholar and director. Mr. Mitsch is on faculty at Florida Gulf Coast University, holds appointments at the University of Florida and the University of Notre Dame, and is widely viewed as one of America’s top wetlands scientists.
The planet itself has become too nutrient-rich, underscoring the need for more wetland restoration, Mr. Mitsch said.
“Now more than ever we need ecological engineering on our agricultural landscapes,” he said. “Putting excess nutrients in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers that flow directly to coastlines is nuts. Wetlands can adapt much better and serve as a natural sink.”
Toxic organisms
The most dominant form of algae in both locations is microcystis, one of the world’s most notorious actors behind events that scientists and policy makers commonly refer to as harmful algal blooms, or HABs.
Technically, HABs are cyanobacteria, which is toxin-producing bacteria with a blue-green hue that acts so much like algae it’s hard to distinguish the two. Microcystis isn’t the only algae that produces microcystin, a toxin that killed dozens of people in Brazil years ago and is more lethal than most naturally occurring substances other than dioxin. But it’s the most common.
At 3.5 billion years old, microcystis is not just one of Earth’s oldest-living organisms.
It’s also one of the planet’s most toxic.
“You don’t even want to breathe the air with these toxic blooms,” Brian LaPointe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, said. “Parents have been keeping their kids indoors.”
South Florida has been wrestling with its latest algae problem for months.
Mark Perry, Florida Oceanic Society executive director, said the toxin concentration in St. Lucie Estuary water was still 86 parts per billion recently, more than eight times the World Health Organization recommended threshold.
Several news articles have cited it at 300 ppb or more in recent weeks, 30 times greater than the WHO’s 10 ppb guideline.
Experts agree climate change and poor land-use practices are underlying reasons why microcystis has been on the rise throughout the world the past two decades, from thousands of small ponds across North America to massive Lake Taihu in China, Lake Victoria in Africa, and virtually any major freshwater body from the Arctic to South America.
Microcystis needs freshwater, sunlight, nutrients, and stagnant air to bloom.
El Nino effect
So how did South Florida’s algal bloom get so big and divert attention away from Lake Erie this summer?
The quick answer: El Nino.
Backtrack to last winter and think about how unusually mild it was.
Climatologists have said the most recent El Nino weather system — the first major one since the winter of 1997-98 — was one the strongest on record.
Although last winter’s El Nino made temperatures pleasant and produced little snow in the Great Lakes region, it caused monsoon-like rain in South Florida during what is normally the Everglades’ dry season.
Much of South Florida got 9 to 12 inches of rain in January, more than any single month in the entire 2015 rainy season.
That part of Florida usually gets less than an inch that month.
As a result, Lake Okeechobee — which is mostly man-made — was holding far more water than it should have.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers greatly expanded the lake to a massive 448,000 acres decades ago, to manage it like a reservoir and protect the region from hurricane-induced flooding, according to Rick Stumpf, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration oceanographer and algae researcher in NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science in Silver Spring, Md.
The Corps continues to manage it like a reservoir, Mr. Stumpf said.
With the 2016 rainy season on the horizon, the Corps had to release billions of gallons to local canals and estuaries or risk the collapse of its man-made dike, he said.
“If the water gets too high, there’s a danger the dike will fail,” Mr. Stumpf said.
The Corps needed to avoid what happened in New Orleans in 2005, when the Crescent City’s levees burst because they couldn’t hold back rising water from Hurricane Katrina, he said.
Critics claim the agency didn’t manage the release well enough.
“They got caught flat-footed,” Mr. Mitsch said, claiming the Corps failed to plan ahead and heed El Nino warnings by other federal agencies, such as the National Academy of Science. “We had one storm after another.”
John Capece, director and secretary of an environmental group called the Caloosahatchee River Citizens Association — Riverwatch, said the Corps wasn’t so much caught flat-footed as it was politically driven to cut costs and remain in denial of how much algae would grow once the surplus water was released.
“It was on their radar completely,” Mr. Capece said. “They just thought they could get away with it.”
‘Challenging year’
John Cassani, an aquatic biologist who chairs the Southwest Florida Watershed Council, said the unusually large outbreak demonstrates how “the duration and frequency and magnitude of cyanobacteria is changing” across the globe.
“It just seems like a time bomb,” Mr. Cassani said.
In a statement, Col. Jason Kirk of the Corps said dry weather and the state’s reduction of water flowing into the lake creates an opportunity to “bring some degree of relief to the estuaries experiencing above normal seasonal algal blooms.”
On June 30, Colonel Kirk conceded 2016 has been “a challenging year” for South Florida.
Corps water managers “have dealt with such large quantities of rain and runoff entering the lake that it would cover the entire state of Delaware in two feet of water,” he said.
About three-quarters of the water has been sent toward the Atlantic Ocean; the other quarter toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Water released from Lake Okeechobee has carried algae-growing phosphorus and microcystis seeds, making waterways such as the St. Lucie Estuary a breeding ground for algal blooms.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency and has implored the Obama Administration to declare a national disaster.
Algae is not new in Lake Okeechobee or many of Florida’s 30,000 other-plus lakes, though.
It took on a much higher profile because Lake Okeechobee releases have allowed it to bloom smack in the middle of densely populated areas with upscale housing and popular tourist destinations.
Mr. LaPointe said the St. Lucie Estuary inside the Indian River Lagoon system has received discharges from Lake Okeechobee for decades.
But he also said microcystis wasn’t found in great abundance in that estuary until 2004, and said there has been “an uptick in a variety of HABs” there since 2011.
Mr. LaPointe said South Florida’s “rise in slime” adds to the growing body of evidence that microcystis is proliferating across the world because of climate change and poor land use.
“This is clearly the biggest bloom we’ve had yet in the estuary,” Mr. LaPointe said. “It’s horrible. It’s really affected businesses and home sales.”

160724-b
Protect my Florida
Miami Herald – by Greg Hamra, Coral Gables, FL
July 24, 2016
As a lifelong Floridian, born here 55 years ago, I sometimes feel as if I have saltwater flowing through my veins.
My tissues literally consist of Everglades water, piped to my home from the Biscayne Aquifer.
Protecting these resources is of paramount concern to me.
For this reason I’m grateful that Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo co-introduced the Coral Act to study the deleterious effects of ocean acidification that threaten coral reefs and aquatic food webs.
South Florida’s economy is directly connected to our environment.
An important part of that is our sensitive coral reef system. Considered the rainforest of the oceans, they’re the breeding ground for some of the lowest links in our aquatic food chains.
As “green infrastructure” they naturally help protect us from storm surge. As an underwater jungle, they attract tourists from all over the world who spend money here.
All of this is threatened. I applaud their leadership in introducing this important piece of legislation.

160724-c
Seasonal algae outbreaks defy easy solutions
The Real Deal
July 24, 2016
Governor Rick Scott wants to switch all homes along Lake Okeechobee to sewers from septic tanks
No easy solutions exist for summertime algae outbreaks that suck oxygen out of two Florida rivers and cover parts of them with rancid green slime – a man-made problem that dates back more than a century.
Business interests drained much of the Everglades for development from the late 1800s into the 1900s with government acquiescence. Water that once naturally flowed south from Lake Okeechobee into the Everglades now flows via manmade diversions westward to the Caloosahatchee River and eastward to the St. Lucie River.
Development along the lake has brought phosphorous- and nitrogen-laced human waste, animal waste and fertilizer to its shoreline, and when seasonally heavy rains wash these pollutants into the lake, algae feed on them and reproduce rapidly.
Governor Rick Scott supports spending an unspecified amount to get owners of homes along Lake Okeechobee to switch from septic tanks to sewer lines.
Some environmentalists propose resuming the southward flow of water from Lake Okeechobee into vast reservoirs that would be built south of the lake. The water also would be cleaned through removal of nitrogen, phosphorous and other pollutants.
But Florida Atlantic University algae researcher Brian LaPointe said scrubbing away all of the nitrogen would be almost impossible, and he warned that waterborne flows of nitrogen would devastate Florida Bay’s seagrass and coral. [Associated Press] – Mike Seemuth
Related:           Tired of stay-away Scott, Murphy brings algae water to governor's ...          Palm Beach Post (blog)

160723-a
Saving the Cape Sable seaside sparrow and restoring Everglades balance is possible after all
Sunshine State News - by Nancy Smith
July 23, 2016
A little cooperation is going a long way. If only the two federal agencies with such colossal power over Everglades restoration had talked to each other sooner ...
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced Friday they are "taking additional steps under the Endangered Species Act to restore balance to the Florida Everglades ecosystem and help reverse decades-long population declines of the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow."
"We’re moving forward with restoration efforts and operational modifications that will ultimately provide beneficial conditions to the many species that call the Everglades home," said Col. Jason Kirk, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District commander. 
All that is cover-your-backside code for ... we've finally figured out a way to stop using the shy, tiny bird as a scapegoat for the misery the FWS interpretation of the Endangered Species Act has caused.
The 5-inch Cape Sable seaside sparrow has been listed as an endangered species ever since the Endangered Species Act -- then called the Endangered Species Preservation Act -- went into effect in 1967.
Protecting it has come at a considerable cost in South Florida -- the only place in the world the bird is said to live naturally. Victims include Everglades National Park, Everglades restoration efforts, Florida Bay, the Miccosukee Indians, and vegetable farmers, all of them at the mercy of regulations meant to save the bird from extinction.
The bottom line is, the fight over the Everglades is about water: how much and when and where and how clean. Although the sparrow just happened to land in the middle of the battleground, its chief concern is also water. Too much of it disturbs the bird's nesting cycle; too little leaves its habitat susceptible to fire and changes in vegetation. For Cape Sable seaside sparrows, everything has to be just right.  
These steps the Corps and FWS are taking are outlined in a new biological opinion on the Corps’ Everglades Restoration Transition Plan (ERTP), implemented in 2012 to guide improved management of water flows in the Everglades. See the "Everglades Restoration Transition Plan Biological Opinion" in the attachment below.
"The new biological opinion will guide the Corps and partners in the Everglades restoration effort in better managing water in ways that improve habitat essential to the Cape Sable seaside sparrow," said the agencies' joint press release.
Actions called for in the biological opinion include operational modifications and expediting restoration initiatives already planned for the southern portion of the Everglades ecosystem to aid in providing suitable nesting habitat for the sparrow.
In spite of what environmentalists tell you, water is flowing south out of Lake Okeechobee. And a lot of it. At Gov. Rick Scott's urging, last year the South Florida Water Management District moved 700,000 acre feet of water south. But not much of it can find its way to Everglades National Park.
Since 1999, at the direction of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has closed very large water control gates along Tamiami Trail leading into Everglades National Park, preventing their use from November to July every year supposedly to protect the sparrow. This has parched the park and Florida Bay of much needed clean fresh water.
The South Florida Water Management District has been screaming about this forever, or so it seems. Closing the gates each year cuts in half the volume of clean water that can be moved south into the park and eventually into Florida Bay.
Closure also causes water to back up in the conservation areas north of the park, which endangers wildlife and prevents more water from being moved south out of Lake Okeechobee. 
Measures in the "biological opinion" just announced will allow the movement of this water southward under the Tamiami Trail One-Mile Bridge flowing through the Everglades and into Florida Bay in ways that avoid prolonged flooding of the sparrow’s habitat during the nesting season. They will also provide much-needed fresh water to benefit wildlife such as American crocodiles, West Indian manatees, sea turtles, dolphins, a variety of bird species and game fish.
This is all part of a broad collaboration between the FWS, the Corps, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service and many others to save the ground-nesting Cape Sable seaside sparrow and still meet water management needs. 
The press release claims "the actions reflect the complexity of restoration requirements across the Everglades and the commitment of local, state and federal partners to find creative ways to achieve long-term restoration and conservation."
Did they really have to wait three years to announce they had some kind of plan -- any plan -- to compromise?
“Although the Cape Sable seaside sparrow is on the brink of extinction, we believe with the timely and coordinated action of partners, we can save this and other imperiled wildlife for the long term,” said Larry Williams, the FWS’s state supervisor for ecological services in Florida.
Prior to Hurricane Andrew in 1992, there were 6,576 sparrows inhabiting Everglades National Park. Hurricane Andrew was followed by several wet years and high discharges of water through water control structures, causing several years of poor conditions for the sparrow. This reduced the sparrow’s ability to recover from the impact of the hurricane and its total population declined to 3,312 in 1993. 
FWS began consulting with the Corps on the Everglades Restoration Transition Plan in 2015. Due to many factors, including loss of habitat, the sparrow’s population dropped to 2,720 in 2014. The agency claims, after one of the wettest nesting periods on record, current preliminary results for 2016 indicate the population may have decreased to approximately 2,400 birds, lowest on record.
As a result of this interagency collaboration and biological opinion, the Corps has committed to these things:
Provide habitat conditions that will continue to facilitate sparrow breeding in areas where the existing habitat is of better quality.
Provide habitat conditions that will allow the sparrow to successfully breed and recruit in currently degraded areas.
Promote sparrow population resilience by identifying additional areas of habitat expansion or movement that may occur with implementation of water management projects and the onset of sea level rise.
Monitor and demonstrate that successful sparrow breeding and recruitment is occurring in response to the implementation of management actions.
Water isn't the only threat to the ground-nesting Cape Sable seaside sparrow. The birds and their nestlings are ideal prey for snakes.
Incidentally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is no longer making a stink about SFWMD's treatment of the Everglade snail kite. 
In fairness to the FWS and the Corps, you can understand why they might treat the sparrow and the snail kite differently. They have to tread carefully: In August 2013, Duke University scientist Stuart Pimm and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the two agencies. At issue was the continuing release of water flooding the Cape Sable seaside sparrow's habitat. The lawsuit alleged the practice was in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

160723-b
Uniting over water
News-Press.com – by the Editorial Board
July 23, 2016
February aerial showing polluted water compared to the natural color of the water in the foreground.(Photo: Special to The News-Press)
They march up and down our coast with the same rush as the algae and polluted water that has swept into Florida's waterways and impacted our beaches. The message is usually the same from our elected leaders in Washington and Tallahassee: "we are here to help."
We get it. We understand. Now, do something about it.
Two years ago, in a 143-page report (Options to Reduce High Volume Freshwater Flows to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries and Move More Water from Lake Okeechobee to the Southern Everglades) was as in-depth and complete as any on our water crisis. It was developed by a team of environmental and agricultural experts from the University of Florida Water Institute. It dissected the history of the problem, painted an environmental pathway to the solutions and cautioned that if solutions are not fast-tracked now, many of our conditions will be irreversible.
The report documented the need for more water storage north and south of Lake Okeechobee. The need to clean the water before it reached our Southwest Florida estuaries. The need to return the water south to the Everglades and parched Florida Bay, where it is so desperately needed to protect sea grass and wildlife. The report is considered the environmental bible for many government and environmental groups because of its thoroughness and recognition of the scientists who prepared it.
But these words from the report we should all take to heart: "Increased and sustained state and federal funding is critical to provide additional water storage and treatment before the system becomes so degraded that major attributes reach tipping points that cannot be reversed."
This report and most of the stakeholders who make their living based on how well our water systems thrive will take center stage when The News-Press hosts a comprehensive "water summit" on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at Sanibel Island Hotel and Resort. This will be a day of discussions from many groups and will continue to trumpet potential solutions for our water, which is our economic lifeline. Details on how to reserve your spot at the summit will be forthcoming.
Throughout the University of Florida report is the theme that what took us 100 years to destroy will not be rebuilt in the next few years. Yes, the current water storage and filtering projects on the books must continue and the funding from both state and federal agencies must continue to make its way to these projects. Yes, repairing and strengthening the Herbert Hoover Dike and replacing culverts there - a federally funded project - must continue to protect those who live beyond the perimeter.  Yes, as the reported noted, adherence to the Central Everglades Restoration Plan and all the other environmental plans that reduce phosphorous and nitrogen loads into our waterways, must roll on.
Land buys north and south of the lake to create another 1 million acre feet of storage also are crucial and something many environmental groups call for, especially north of the lake to hold and clean polluted water before it enters Lake Okeechobee and finds its way into the Caloosahatchee. Local environmental groups are sending a contingency to Washington, D.C., to deliver that message. Many of those groups point to mistakes by then Gov. Charlie Crist's administration for not buying out U.S. Sugar - at a cost of $1.8 billion for 107,000 acres - and converting that land into a storage and conveyance system taking water flows from the lake into the Everglades and Florida Bay. Many blame the Legislature for not buying U.S. Sugar land last year at a discounted rate for storage south of the lake, even though that land would not be available for use for about 20 years.
The group trekking to D.C. wants to reinforce the message of buying land south of the lake and restoring flows in the River of Grass - all key points in the University of Florida report.
When Florida Sen. Marco Rubio visited our shores and talked with state, county and municipal government officials on Monday (following Sen. Bill Nelson's visit), he heard how the toxic algae and polluted water was not only closing beaches, specifically one along the river in Cape Coral for a few days last week, but also how the bad water was hurting tourism and businesses. Fort Myers Beach businesses, according to reports, were down 25 percent to 40 percent and people were being laid off.
Sanibel Mayor Kevin Ruane told Rubio: "You need to understand the severity of the problem. We've got 161 cities now affected."
Rubio chose to deflect attention from the need for more storage and a south flow way to his focus. which is passing the Water Resources Development Act that authorizes the Central Everglades Planning Project, scheduled for a vote in September. "If we had something new on top of it, my colleagues across the country are going to say, 'Well, obviously this plan you want to pour billions of dollars into must not be very good, because you've been saying you've got to do something in addition to it.' I am worried about distracting and creating a diversion."
Distractions and diversions run the aisles in Congress, but securing the funding to complete existing storage and cleaning projects and begin the work of sending water south should be Rubio's main focus. It is all detailed in the University of Florida report.
The report also noted the importance of decades of planning and solutions already provided for in key environmental plans for the south Florida ecosystem, like The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, North Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program and River of Grass Planning Process. The report also said, "Despite these extensive planning efforts, however, little has been done to solve the regional problems ... "
The report detailed the need for more storage:
- 400,000-acre feet of water storage with the Caloosahatchee watershed
- 200,000 acre feet within the St. Lucie River Watershed.
- Approximately 1 million acre feet distributed north and south of the lake.
But the report criticized what has not been done to eliminate the need - only 170,000 acre feet of storage is currently being built in the Caloosahatchee watershed (C-43) and 40,000 acre feet in the St. Lucie Watershed.
The report called for accelerated funding, especially for the Caloosahatchee reservoir, which carries a bill of about $600 million that is supposed to be a 50-50 cost share between the state and feds, but likely will be initially funded by the state with Congress to reimburse Florida at a later date.
A main focus of the report was the need to improve water quality plans that aren't doing enough to meet FDEP-approved total maximum daily loads of nitrogen and phosphorous into our waterways and the need to be more aggressive with "field-verified agricultural and urban Best Management Practices," as well as strategic placement of storage treatment areas, or basins.
The News-Press had offered views from most environmental groups, from the South Florida Water Management District and from those directly involved with U.S. Sugar. We have offered our views of the importance of getting the polluted water, discharged from Lake O, rerouted from the Caloosahatchee and into the Everglades and Florida Bay. We have offered our view from 1,000 feet and the importance of various water storage and water filtering projects from Homestead, up to the incredible restoration work along the Kissimmee River, changing the flow of water there before it reaches Lake Okeechobee, as well as the restoration of flood plains there to collect access water, and the return of wildlife.
This is a water crisis that will not go away any time soon. This is an environmental calamity with many moving parts. Strengthening the Herbert Hoover dike, continuing with  current water projects, buying land north and south of the lake for more storage, and creating that flow way south to the Everglades, collectively are the cures to restoring clean waterways and revitalizing tourism and business.
BREAKOUT
UF REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
Some options for reducing damaging discharges into Lake Okeechobee and St. Lucie estuaries.
Provide water storage and treatment north of the lake​
The NEEPP and other plans provide a sound foundation from which to plan, design and build additional storage and treatment need north of Lake Okeechobee. New data gathering efforts and model developments will be required to simulate cumulative impacts on the quality, quantity and timing of flows into Lake Okeechobee.
Provide additional water storage, treatment and conveyance south of Lake Okeechobee
Develop a strategic plan to take advantage of new north-of-lake storage and treatment and more clearly meet the performance targets of both the estuaries and the Everglades ecosystems. Independent assessments suggest an expansive gravity-driven west flow-way throughout the Everglades Agricultural Area may not be feasible to provide maximum benefits to the estuaries. However, options include storage, wet and dry flow ways, as well as storage treatment areas.
Deep well disposal of excess flows
This could be part of a long-term solution to reducing discharges. This is only an option if water storage, treatment and conveyance south of the lake is not feasible. The large injection wells would permanently dispose of excess flows from Lake O in the deep Boulder Zone, rather than discharging the water into the estuaries.
Operational changes
Adjustments within the current Lake O regulation schedule are unlikely to have a substantive impact on damaging high discharges into the estuaries. However, a substantively revised regulation schedule that provides more storage into the lake might prove those benefits. Developing a new schedule requires completion of the on-going U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dam Safety Modification Study and guidance about the safety of the rehabilitated Herbert Hoover levee and operational structures in light of any new safety standards.
Source: University of Florida Water Institute

160722-a
2016 could become the ‘Dead Summer’
Palm Beach Post – Point of View by Patrick Murphy, represents Florida’s 18th Congressional District
July 22, 2016
In March 2015, I greeted President Barack Obama at the Treasure Coast International Airport. In my hand was a bottle of dirty water from the St. Lucie River. While not a typical present for the leader of the free world, I was determined to show President Obama what we were up against on the Treasure Coast.
When I took office in 2013, massive discharges from Lake Okeechobee started flowing into our waterways with toxic algae following. Experiencing the “Lost Summer” firsthand, my office and I have dedicated ourselves to working to protect our waterways and our environment. If we don’t take immediate action, I fear 2016 will become the “Dead Summer.”
From Day 1, I have made it a priority to work on solutions large and small. That first summer, I helped construct oyster reefs near the Fort Pierce Inlet and Taylor Creek with other volunteers. I remained in contact with the Army Corps of Engineers to discuss the most effective ways to address the situation. In Congress, I pushed to fund critical projects to improve the health of our waterways.
In October of 2013, I hosted a historic Congressional briefing to bring national attention to this environmental crisis.
I will never forget how touched and humbled I was to see over 100 Floridians make the trip to Washington — even riding 14 hours by bus — to have their voices heard.
Since that time, we have made real progress on several fronts. In addition, I have aggressively fought for federal funds to address this crisis. We received billions to fund Everglades projects that will directly benefit waterways on the Treasure Coast and across the entire state.
While we continue to work each and every day on this issue in Congress, governments at all levels must recognize the disaster facing our area and work together to protect our environment. That is why I continue to call on the state to use Amendment 1 funds for land acquisition and conservation efforts to help send more clean water south as 75 percent of Florida voters intended.
We have a moral obligation to solve this problem for future generations.
In fiscal year 2016, 60 percent of all Everglades funding went to the C-44 Indian River Lagoon South project.

160722-b
Short-term fix for St. Lucie algae woes proposed
Palm Beach Post - by Christine Stapleton
July 22, 2016
The Everglades Foundation and Audubon Florida want the South Florida Water Management District to store water on land it owns in the southern Everglades, which is currently being used to grow sugarcane.
The groups proposed the storage plan in a letter they sent to Gov. Rick Scott as part of their efforts to encourage the district to move water from Lake Okeechobee south. Doing so would lessen or stop discharges from the lake into the St. Lucie Estuary, plagued with blue-green algae this summer, they say.
Those discharges must be done to relieve pressure on the aging dike around the lake, which could breach if water levels get too high.
The district is currently leasing the 16,000-acre property, called the A-2 parcel, to Florida Crystals. The lease expires in 2019. After that, the land will be used in a water project that is part of the Central Everglades Planning Project. CEPP projects have already been approved by the Army Corps of Engineers and are awaiting Congressional approval.
For now, the groups say the land could be used short-term as part of the district’s passive water storage program, called dispersed water management. Passive storage leaves rainwater on land rather than moving it into district canals.
Dispersed water projects are inexpensive alternatives to large water storage projects but store much less water. Berms and structures that block water from moving off the land often must be constructed to make the efforts successful.
According to the groups’ calculations, the A-2 parcel could hold 13.4 billion gallons of water, which could provide 10 days of relief from peak flows into the St. Lucie estuary.
On Friday, the Corps and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced additional steps they will take to protect endangered species impacted by restoration projects. The actions outlined will allow more water to move south to the Florida Bayin ways that avoid prolonged flooding of the Cape Sable seaside sparrow.
Related:           Will southern reservoir save the estuary ?       Palm Beach Post

160722-c
This wasn't the 'green' Scott needs
News-Press.com – by Bill Cotterell
July 22, 2016
Amid the casualties of the algae bloom – besides a lot of dead fish and manatees – is Gov. Rick Scott’s political career.
Normally, being the “green” candidate is a good thing. But being closely identified with great gobs of stinking slime, a toxic tide seeping out of Lake Okeechobee, is not a legacy anyone wants.
Maybe it’s not Scott’s fault, and he certainly has been pointing fingers at the White House and the rest of the federal government. And the Democrats hardly have clean hands, politically. U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Murphy, who recently got caught (by Scott) sending an email urging delay of a recovery announcement until he could get in on the act.
But at least Murphy’s congressional district is directly affected. Rep. Gwen Graham of Tallahassee, whose district is about 300 miles away, last week called for Scott to convene a special legislative session to deal with the slop. She is, not coincidentally, running for governor in 2018.
But the Graham name is associated with environmental stewardship. Her father, as a young Miami legislator and governor, was known for growth management laws, designation of areas of critical state concern, state acquisition of environmentally sensitive lands and protecting endangered species.
Bob Graham left the governor’s office and was elected to the U.S. Senate as one of Florida’s most popular political figures. Scott will leave the office in 2018, when everybody expects him to run for the Senate, but he has never been popular.
He has, however, been rich and lucky. Scott came along at just the right time in the anti-insider Tea Party climate of 2010, with just the right message – “Let’s get to work” – and won a largely self-financed race for governor. After being mostly upside-down in polls for four years, Scott still managed to survive in 2014 over Charlie Crist, who had the unique disadvantage of being Charlie Crist.
Each time, Scott won by a little more than 60,000 votes out of more than 5 million ballots cast.
Sen. Bill Nelson, the lone Democrat remaining in statewide office, will be 76 on Election Day of 2018. That’s not old by congressional standards, and Nelson appears healthy and ready to run. But it’s possible that 2018 will be Hillary Clinton’s first mid-term election, when the party in the White House often takes a beating (Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio both won in President Obama’s first mid-term campaign year.)
Scott won’t be a pushover, if he runs. His “Let’s Get to Work” political committee is collecting millions – much of it from big agriculture and developers who have done for the environment what Bonnie and Clyde did for the banking business.
Who can project what Florida’s political climate will be like in two years? Scott’s best shot might be if Nelson retires, as the Democrats aren’t exactly bursting with stars of tomorrow. But assuming he seeks a fourth term in Washington, and that Scott challenges him, the environment will probably figure prominently in the campaign.
In 2014, Scott boasted of clean-up money for springs and the Everglades. But any governor would have done those things. Scott is also the guy who wiped out the Department of Community Affairs, whose administration has tried to privatize some state parks operations and explore things like horse trails and motorhome space in some parks.
And there were those headlines about employees of what’s whimsically known as the Department of Environmental Protection being told not to use the words “climate change” or “global warming.” As water sloshes in streets of Miami Beach, Scott’s answer to climate questions has been, “I’m not a scientist.”
But you don’t need a meteorologist to know which way the political wind blows. In addition to the TV interviews with homeowners and business operators affected by the algae bloom, and the aerial video of beaches, harbors and waterfront backyards being fouled by the algae bloom, there were two recent news photographs that tell the story.
One is a color shot, made at sand level, showing waves of what looks like dark lime yogurt sloshing up on a beach. You could paint your boat with this stuff, if you didn’t mind the stench.
The other photo is from an aquatic morgue with what looks like 10 or 12 big plastic trash bags on tables. But they’re not trash bags. They’re dead manatees – casualties of the algae bloom. And there will be more.
Maybe you haven’t seen the green tide and dead manatee shots. But if Scott runs for office again, you will.
Bill Cotterell is a columnist for the Tallahassee Democrat, which is part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, which includes The News-Press. He can be contacted at bcotterell@tallahassee.com.

160722-d
USFWS, Corps work out plan to save Everglades sparrow
The Ledger - by Tom Palmer
July 22, 2016b
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  this week issued a press release saying the agencies  are taking additional steps under the Endangered Species Act ) to restore balance to the Florida Everglades ecosystem and help reverse decades-long population declines of the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow.
These steps are outlined in a new biological opinion on the Corps’ Everglades Restoration Transition Plan , which was implemented in 2012 to guide improved management of water flows in the Everglades. The new biological opinion will guide the Corps and partners in the Everglades restoration effort in better managing water in ways that improve habitat essential to the Cape Sable seaside sparrow.
Actions called for in the biological opinion include operational modifications and expediting restoration initiatives already planned for the southern portion of the Everglades ecosystem to aid in providing suitable nesting habitat for the sparrow. These measures will allow the movement of additional water southward under the Tamiami Trail One-Mile Bridge flowing through the Everglades and into Florida Bay in ways that avoid prolonged flooding of the sparrow’s habitat during the nesting season. They will also provide much-needed fresh water into the Everglades and Florida Bay, benefitting wildlife such as American crocodiles, West Indian manatees, sea turtles, dolphins, a variety of bird species and game fish.
The ESA consultation, biological opinion, and the resulting operational modifications are part of a broad collaboration between the Service, the Corps, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, which manages Everglades National Park, and many others to save the ground-nesting Cape Sable seaside sparrow and meet water management needs. The actions reflect the complexity of restoration requirements across the Everglades and the commitment of local, state and federal partners to find creative ways to achieve long-term restoration and conservation.
“Although the Cape Sable seaside sparrow is on the brink of extinction, we believe with the timely and coordinated action of partners, we can save this and other imperiled wildlife for the long term,” said Larry Williams, the Service’s State Supervisor for Ecological Services in Florida.
For more information, go to this link.

160721-a
Algae fix could come from $10 million Everglades clean-up contest
Sun Sentinel – by Andy Reid
July 21, 2106
s toxic algae blooms foul Florida waterways, Everglades advocates Thursday started accepting contestants for a $10 million prize for solving water pollution woes.
The Everglades Foundation two years ago announced it would create a cash incentive for scientists and entrepreneurs to come up with a cost-effective way to clean polluting phosphorus out of lakes, rivers and other freshwater bodies worldwide, including Florida's famed River of Grass.
Now as Florida coastal communities struggle with a toxic algae outbreak fueled by phosphorus-laden water draining out of Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades Foundation is ready to start fielding proposed solutions.
"Today our water is at risk," said Eric Eikenberg, Everglades Foundation CEO. "The alarm bells have rung. People want solutions."
The contest was one of the topics discussed Thursday during an Everglades Foundation conference call and webcast with scientists, business leaders and other participants across the globe to discuss ways to tackle phosphorus pollution.
Algae problems hurt local businesses
AWPEC report on how the algae problem is hurting businesses in Martin County. The Small Business Administration is offering loans to business owners impacted by the problem.
AWPEC report on how the algae problem is hurting businesses in Martin County. The Small Business Administration is offering loans to business owners impacted by the problem.
See more videos
The solution that the Everglades Foundation hopes to find could still be at least four years away.
Testing is planned to winnow the host of expected pollution-fighting proposals. After getting down to four finalists, a winner is supposed to be chosen in 2020.
The winner has to provide cost-effective ways to remove phosphorus from large volumes of water without damaging the environment and use methods that can work in both warm and cold climates.
Information about applying for the George Barley Water Prize, named after the foundation's co-founder, can be found at www.barleyprize.com.
The donor of the $10 million prize is being kept anonymous, according to the Everglades Foundation.
Beyond Florida, algae blooms continue to cause problems in the Great Lakes as well as waters in Canada, China, Africa and India.
"What's happening in Florida is alarming ... but it's not unique to southern climates," said Tom Kaszas, of the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, who participated in Thursday's discussion.
Phosphorus — from fertilizer, animal waste and sewage — washes off farmland and urban areas during rain storms, draining into waterways from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades.
An overload of phosphorus can trigger toxic algae blooms that lead to fish kills and make waters unsafe for swimming.
Climate change is expected to make those algae blooms more frequent and more toxic, said Tim Davis, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
"They are the end product of a larger problem," Davis said about algae blooms.
This year, South Florida flooding threats from swollen Lake Okeechobee have triggered lake draining to the east and west coasts that has spawned algae blooms.
Conditions on the east coast worsened in late June and early July with, with bright green, foul smelling algae inundating waterways near Stuart and periodically closing beaches due to health warnings.
Amid efforts to divert more lake water to the south, algae blooms have spread to waters near Boynton Beach.
The Army Corps of Engineers since January has been draining billions of gallons of Lake Okeechobee water each day east into the St. Lucie River toward Stuart and west into the Caloosahatchee River toward Fort Myers.
The Army Corps tries to keep the lake level between 12.5 and 15.5 feet above sea level to ease the strain on its erosion-prone dike. The lake on Thursday was 14.66 feet, nearly 3 feet higher than this time last year.
In addition to the technological breakthrough south by the $10 million contest, speeding up state and federal Everglades restoration efforts is billed as a long-term solution to curb toxic algae blooms.
The slow-moving, multi-billion-dollar effort involves building reservoirs and water treatment areas to corral rainwater that now gets drained out to sea and using the water to replenish what remains of the Everglades.
Related:           Everglades Foundation launches $10 million prize to clean up toxic ...         Science Magazine
Here's How You Can Help Solve Florida's Toxic Algae Problem     Care2.com

160721-b
Cry for help: Everglades Update
KeysWeekly.com - by Sara Matthis
July 22, 2016
County, Islamorada pass resolutions asking for federal and state for Everglades Restoration
On July 21, Monroe County passed it’s Everglades Restoration resolution, a plea to move as quickly as possible to increase water flow to the Florida Bay which is experiencing hyper-salinity. Those conditions have lead to a 50,000-acre seagrass die off and experts warn that an algae bloom, similar to that in the late 1980s, is imminent.
The county’s move comes almost a month after the Islamorada Village of Islands passed a similar Everglades Restoration resolution, although the Upper Keys document is much more specific in its call for action.
There are two acronyms on the lips of all locals — CERP and CEPP. CERP is the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan passed in 2000 and is comprised of 68 specific projects to restore the historically correct watershed that flows south from Lake Okeechobee. However, in a 2014 review it was noted that only eight projects had been authorized and construction initiated on only four. The CEPP, Central Everglades Planning Project, is a component of CERP and provides an expedited plan to restore water flow in the Everglades. CEPP calls for water storage that would require land acquisition and deals primarily with the quantity and quality of the water distribution.
Earlier this week, Dr. Stephen Davis of the Everglades Foundation addressed a group of Marathon businessmen and women. The Everglades Foundation is a 21-year-old nonprofit established during the late ’80s during the previous seagrass die off, comprised of scientists and lobbyists.
“During the last die off, the Florida Bay experienced two decades of algae blooms,” he said. “We were just beginning to recover when the drought of last summer put the entire problem in motion again. We anticipate a large-scale algae bloom in Florida Bay.”
Marathon is also working on a resolution to issue to state and federal authorities. On July 12, Islamorada Village Mayor Mike Forster addressed the council about the need for action. Marathon City Manager Chuck Lindsey said the entire council is committed to persuading the pertinent agencies to move as quickly as possible on projects that can alleviate the hypersalinity. Staff is currently drafting a resolution expected for the council’s review on Aug. 9.
“The health of the Florida bay is not only an environmental priority, it’s crucial to the Keys’ economy, as well as the entire state’s,” said Lindsey. “We need change to occur soon and I believe we are all united and dedicated to doing what ever it takes.”
Dr. Stephen Davis explains how the historic flow of water south from Lake Okeechobee has been diverted east and west (where blue algae blooms are plaguing both coasts) and the lack of flow is causing hypersaline conditions in Florida Bay, the Keys’ backdoor.

160721-c
DEP's daily update on Lake Okeechobee
Florida DEP Press Office
July 21, 2016
In an effort to keep Floridians informed of the state’s efforts to protect the environment, wildlife and economies of the communities surrounding Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is issuing a Lake Okeechobee status update each weekday. These updates will help residents stay informed of the latest rainfall and lake level conditions, as well as the latest actions by the State of Florida and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Latest Actions:
Today, the Army Corps of Engineers announced it would maintain the amount of water flowing from Lake Okeechobee. The target flow for the Caloosahatchee is 2,800 cubic feet per second (cfs) and the target flow for the St. Lucie is 650 cfs. Click here for more information.
On July 1, following a directive from Governor Rick Scott, DEP launched a toll-free Bloom Reporting Hotline and established an online reporting form for residents to report algal blooms. Residents are able to call in reports to a new toll-free number at 1-855-305-3903, as well as report information online at www.reportalgalbloom.com.
On June 29, Governor Scott declared a state of emergency in St. Lucie and Martin counties following an increase in algal blooms in local waterways related to the discharges of water from Lake Okeechobee; on June 30 this order was amended to include Lee and Palm Beach counties as well. This order allows the South Florida Water Management District to redirect the flow of water in and out of Lake Okeechobee. The Governor also directed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to take actions to mitigate the spread of algal blooms. Click here to read the press release.
On June 30, South Florida Water Management District began closing water control structures in the Upper Kissimmee Chain of Lakes to stop the flow of water from these water bodies south into Lake Okeechobee. This will allow for more storage in the northern lakes and reduce the overall inflows into Lake Okeechobee.
The District increased Lake Okeechobee discharges from 250 cubic feet per second to 400 cubic feet per second through the C-10A culvert into the L-8 canal.
For more information about the State of Florida's actions on Lake Okeechobee, click here.

Lake Conditions (Update as of midnight 7/20/16):

160721-d
Keeping on track to solve Everglades riddle
Naples Daily News - Commentary by Daniel Peterson, Director, Center for Property Rights, The James Madison Institute, Orlando
July 21, 2016
Trouble in South Florida in the Indian River Lagoon, and the estuary and coastline fed by the St. Lucie River, have many rightfully up in arms.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently released billions of gallons of water from Lake Okeechobee to protect the integrity of the Herbert Hoover Dike around the lake. While the dike and the inhabitants to the south are safe from flooding, the lagoon, estuary, and coastline are paying the price by being lined with blue-green algae blooms.
For decades, one of Florida’s top environmental challenges has been the restoration of the Everglades. Recent events such as voter approval of Amendment 1, the Lake Okeechobee water releases and the expansion of algae blooms have brought the issue to a high point.
Flaming arrows of blame are being recklessly fired from many directions in many directions. Some fault the agriculture industry. Others say it’s all due to septic tanks or lawns being over fertilized. Many others recognize the impact of so much fresh water flowing into brackish and salt water. Environmental activists shouting “buy the land” are also using their bullhorn.
There are a lot of factors at play here, but one thing is for sure. Anyone who thinks that there’s a one-piece-of-land-fixes-all solution to this has disregarded the facts. That’s a costly bandwagon to jump on both for Floridians and for the environment. It also disregards the hydrology of the system, where the vast majority of flow occurs to the north of the lake.
Florida’s population and need for development has grown quickly in recent years.
Preserving what is left is worth our time, attention and resources. People are looking for immediate relief and that’s understandable. These are trying times for Florida.
That’s why it has never been more critical to ensure available funds are used wisely and in a way that will have a long-term and significant impact.
To bring some objectivity and historical reference to this heated debate, The James Madison Institute (JMI) published a backgrounder titled, “Solving the Everglades Riddle: Addressing Water Quality and Quantity to Restore a Florida Legacy.”
The report highlights the major aspects of change the Everglades has experienced over the past 100 years.
Meant to provide policymakers and concerned Floridians with a comprehensive overview of the Everglades restoration process, the report describes the enormity and complexity of the Everglades by looking at its various regions and ecological challenges. Also described are various methods currently being used or considered to control vast amounts of water and improve its quality.
In what should be an encouragement to readers, the JMI report points out four factors contributing to successes in restoring the Everglades, including contributions from best management practices and storm water treatment areas.
Measurable, positive results have already been achieved, and new funding sources will help Florida maintain a steady course toward continued Everglades ecosystem improvement.
In the heat of the moment, it is often important to step back and look at the big picture. In light of the enormity of Everglades restoration and the matrix of multiple projects at various stages of completion, it is easy to get lost in the weeds of detail and miss the overall goal.
Through this report, JMI gives guidance to policymakers and concerned Floridians to help them cut through the web of complexity, remain on track and help keep focus where it should be to effectively preserve and protect Florida’s precious resources.
Continued progress will only happen if all stakeholders can find common ground on facts and not get caught up in frenzied rhetoric. As the report states, bringing decision making to the most local of levels is important.
Also, using scientific data will help objectify evaluations and planned financial allocations to restoration projects.
If scientists, legislators, policymakers, and private sector stakeholders use funds available through Amendment 1 and continue to unite around the plans already in place, it just might be said years from now: “They solved the riddle of Everglades restoration.”

160720-a
Algal blooms are no accident for Florida Everglades and estuaries
CircleOfBlue.com - by Codi Kozacek
July 20, 2016
When toxic blue-green algae closed beaches on Florida’s Treasure Coast this month, water managers were asked to do two things: First, stop the flow of polluted water east and west from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. Second, send more water south of the lake to the Everglades.
In its simplest form, that has been the recipe for restoring water quality in South Florida for nearly three decades. Too much nutrient-loaded water from Lake Okeechobee flows into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee. It causes algal blooms, and harms plants and animals in the normally brackish estuaries.
The Everglades have become yet another of the country’s festering environmental wounds.
Too little fresh water from the lake flows into the Everglades, compounding saltwater intrusion.
Both sets of problems are the unintended consequences of the massive Central and Southern Florida Project, an engineering scheme of more than 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) of canals and levees first authorized by Congress in 1948 to provide flood protection and allow agricultural development. But more than half a century after Marjory Stoneman Douglas first called national attention to the region’s troubles in her book “The Everglades: River of Grass”, managers are still struggling to revert water flows to a more natural course.
As a result, algal blooms in Florida’s coastal estuaries recur every few years, sometimes closing beaches or killing wildlife. Habitat in the Everglades continues to degrade. It has become yet another of the country’s festering environmental wounds, akin to the persistent, oxygen-deprived “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico and Chesapeake Bay, and the toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie.
In each case, decades of scientific research and huge sums of money have been dedicated to understanding the problems, and developing cures. A major component is cutting pollution from nitrates and phosphorus, two nutrients found in fertilizers, sewage, and manure. Rain runoff from farm fields and cities is the biggest source of these nutrients in the nation’s waterways, yet it remains largely unregulated under the federal Clean Water Act. That makes progress stubbornly slow in places like Lake Erie and the Gulf of Mexico, while managers in the Everglades must now figure out how to remove hundreds of years’ worth of phosphorus already contained in Lake Okeechobee.
Slow Progress
The Gulf of Mexico dead zone, fueled by nitrate and phosphorus runoff in the Mississippi River basin, is this year forecast to cover an area the size of Connecticut. The dead zone has been monitored since the 1970s, but remained about the same size since the 1990s—three times bigger than the goal set by a state and federal task force formed in 1997 to address the issue.
Similarly, the Lake Erie blooms, which largely disappeared in the early 1990s, have significantly worsened over the past decade, and last year’s bloom was the most intense on record.
In South Florida, algal blooms in estuaries and fresh water shortages in the Everglades over the past five years have frustrated residents and conservationists.
Chesapeake Bay has fared slightly better. In May, researchers at the University of Maryland announced that Chesapeake Bay scored a 53 percent, or “C”, on its annual health report, one of the three highest scores since 1986. The bay’s condition has oscillated in that time between the 40 and 50 percent mark, but appears to be making incremental improvements since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implemented a “pollution diet” for the region in 2010.
In South Florida, algal blooms in estuaries and fresh water shortages in the Everglades over the past five years have frustrated residents and conservationists. In 2011 and 2012, for example, algal blooms killed off large swathes of seagrass in Indian River Lagoon. A dearth of fresh water flowing into Florida Bay last year caused a turtle grass die-off covering approximately 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres). And excess fresh water released down the St. Lucie this year triggered algal blooms and prompted Florida Governor Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency in four counties.
Plans Require Political Action
It’s not that nothing is being done. Restoring the balance of water in South Florida and the Everglades is the focus of numerous federal and state initiatives, and has been since the early 1990s. The biggest is the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Authorized by Congress in 2000, the $US 10.5 billion plan includes more than 50 projects and could take over 30 years to complete.
In a 2015 report on the plan’s progress, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers described the plan as “reconfiguring the water management infrastructure of an 18,000 square mile region.” That includes projects to allow more water to flow south to the Everglades, shore up the dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee so it can store more water safely, and create large manmade wetlands to remove high phosphorus levels from Lake Okeechobee water, which can harm plants in the Everglades and contribute to algal blooms.
Despite having the overall plan in place, the individual projects still require authorization and appropriations from Congress.
Despite having the overall plan in place, the individual projects still require authorization and appropriations from Congress. That is usually accomplished through the federal Water Resources Development Act, which was most recently renewed in 2014. The 2014 version of the act gave the go-ahead for four Everglades restoration projects, but a major initiative—the Central Everglades Planning Project—is still waiting approval. The CEPP would cost nearly $US 2 billion.
“This crisis has been decades in the making. While we know it won’t be solved overnight, we still need immediate action on the projects that will move us towards the long-term solution of sending clean water south,” U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy, who represents Florida’s 18th District covering Martin and St. Lucie counties, said in a statement earlier this month. “I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for recognizing the disaster facing our waterways and the urgent need to work together to protect our environment by moving CEPP forward.”

160720-d
Season calls for leadership on water quality
Naples Daily News – Editorial
-July 20, 2016
As the rainy and election seasons move forward, Southwest Florida needs designated leadership to address the rising level of concern about water quality.
Some in the construction trade continue to express doubts that the industry has recovered from the economic downturn. We consider that a hard sell to anyone who has driven around Southwest Florida or examined building permit data for Collier and Lee counties.
The conversation, then, needs to focus more on the effects that renewed growth is having on water quality in Southwest Florida. Even setting aside for a moment the ongoing conflict over whether more land must be acquired south of Lake Okeechobee for water storage, there isn't much disagreement that development north and west of the lake is contributing to a decline in water quality in Lee, the estuaries and toward the Everglades in Collier County.
We're seeing leadership in Southwest Florida emerge through the mayors of cities in Lee County. They are united in their alarm about the declining quality of water in the Caloosahatchee River and Lee estuaries. Multiple media outlets have reported in the past week that the worrisome blue-green algae that has plagued the central east coast of Florida now has surfaced in Lee.
We also extend leadership kudos to members of the Bonita Springs City Council, who unanimously moved forward on three fronts Wednesday to further tackle water quality concerns in south Lee.
Leadership
One approach in the Bonita council's trifecta calls for the city to acquire lands from willing sellers in the density reduction, water recharge area on the city's east side known as the DR/GR.
A second important decision was to join hands with Lee mayors in endorsing the latest, improved version of a position paper for protecting the Caloosahatchee River basin and estuaries at risk of pollution that's conveyed via the river.
The most recent position paper calls for treating water that will be put into a storage reservoir, known as C-43 between LaBelle and Fort Myers, before it is released anywhere. That's a worthy improvement to prior plans. Otherwise, it's just creating a mini Lake Okeechobee problem to release untreated, tainted water from the reservoir.
A comment by Bonita Springs Vice Mayor Peter O'Flinn at Wednesday's council meeting resonated loudly with us. He lamented the ongoing finger-pointing concerning who is at fault for the conditions that are causing the algae bloom and nutrient-rich lake releases.
"That's not leadership," O'Flinn said of finger-pointing.
Lee mayors aren't pointing fingers. They're joining hands. This is the leadership Southwest Florida needs. If only the problem could be solved locally. But it's much more complicated.
The Army Corps of Engineers decides on the lake level and is one of multiple federal partners with a role in Florida water quality projects. The independent South Florida Water Management District operates the lake pumps and participates on restoration projects. The state Department of Environmental Protection oversees water quality criteria. As the Bonita council wisely advanced a Spring Creek watershed improvement plan Wednesday, it was noted that the state Department of Agriculture controls some chemical applications affecting water quality.
Too many cooks
That's way too many cooks in the kitchen. With environmental advocate U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Bonita Springs, voluntarily leaving his seat, Southwest Florida needs a new head chef to work with the mayors and respected environmental groups supporting the latest position paper.
In recent days, the editorial boards of the Naples Daily News and News-Press jointly heard from three Republicans vying to replace Clawson. The race continues to the November ballot.
Federal issues abound: Terrorism. The deficit. Immigration. Mass killings. Fair trade.
For this region, however, we will look to our new congressman to bring together all of these other cooks in the kitchen. We're encouraged by the commitment we're hearing from District 19 candidates for Clawson's seat.
We urge voters to question them and choose a head chef who, like Clawson, can lead this critical task and do so with a sense of urgency - before the water quality in Southwest Florida is cooked for good.

160720-e
State needs to call an emergency legislative session now
Pine Island Eagle - Letter to the editor by Carl Veaux, Cape Coral, FL
July 20, 2016
Send the excess water in the Big O south. Buy U.S. Sugar fields south of Lake Okee-chobee with Amendment 1 money. Ask Gov. Scott to do it now.
Our tourist industry is suffering because of the dirty water and blooms all over our water. People are being laid off because of this damaging water.
The crabbers have left the river, crab have left. Tourists are leaving us and residents are moving away. Fishing guides can not fish the river. Nine thousand people have signed a petition to buy U.S. Sugar lands south of the lake.
Attending the Amendment 1 rally two years ago, asking the Everglades Coalition people for this seven years ago, I was even in Rep. Caldwell's and Eagle's offices trying to get them to agree to this. Nothing happened.
We need a flow way through the dike. A spillway isn't adequate as it doesn't distribute the water. This water can be directed to areas where the water can enter the ground or a lake with a flow way.
C-43 reservoir is a joke. It holds very little water. It is on the highest ground in Henry County and needs to be pumped up the slope. The water will be so dirty you can't eat the fish.
Federal funds will not work; takes several years for the money to be appropriated. It took a decade to get C-43 and Ding Darling money from our government. Commissioner Kiker is so wrong saying use federal funds. This will not work because of the time frame. Ask all state officials for an emergency legislative session now.

160720-f
Why toxic algae blooms like Florida’s are so dangerous to people and wildlife
Huffington Post – by Ernst B. Peebles, University of Florida
July 20, 2016
Reported cases of algal blooms, when algae grow rapidly from an influx of nutrients in waterways, have been rising at an exponential rate in recent decades. Industrialized countries have the highest incidence with North America, Europe and eastern Asia being hotbeds for new cases due to runoff from industry and cities as well as these areas’ intensive use of manufactured fertilizers.
These events often cause a noticeable change in the color and smell of natural water bodies and may be accompanied by highly visible fish kills or even respiratory distress in humans who inhale tiny, aerosol particles created by wind and waves.
A highly visible new case recently developed in Florida, where a particularly intense bloom of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) formed in Lake Okeechobee, the largest freshwater lake in the state. As is often the case with today’s larger, more intense blooms, the event was visible to satellites orbiting in space. This year’s Lake Okeechobee bloom was first noticed on Landsat 8 images during early May 2016 and persisted through at least midsummer.
While blooms of this nature are not uncommon in Lake Okeechobee, this one received more attention because of its intensity and size - it covered 33 square miles. Also, the bloom was exported to the coast when water managers released water from Lake Okeechobee in response to several months of heavy rainfall and concerns that rising water levels in the lake, which is contained by a dike, would cause flooding.
Upon reaching the coast through two man-made diversions that short-circuit the lake’s natural, southerly flow to the Everglades, the bloom persisted instead of dispersing, causing economic damage to local tourism, fishing and boating businesses. Florida’s governor subsequently declared a state of emergency in three of the hardest-hit counties on the Atlantic coast and in one county on the Gulf coast.
Apart from the economic damages, Floridians are also bothered by the environmental degradation these events cause. What are the environmental and health dangers from this sort of large-scale algal bloom ?
Bloom types and basic bloom mechanics
Blue-green algae are one of three types of single-celled algae that frequently cause harmful blooms in coastal waters. In Florida and elsewhere, the blue-greens tend to bloom in fresh water and at the upper ends of estuaries, near where freshwater runoff first starts to mix with coastal seawater. The other two algal types, diatoms and dinoflagellates, tend to bloom at more seaward locations (especially the dinoflagellates).
While the fundamental causes of coastal algal blooms are well understood, there is considerable uncertainty about the details. A large part of the debate involves determining which cocktail of nutrients - whether it’s nitrate, ammonia, orthophosphate or organic nutrients such as urea - promotes one particular bloom type over another.
One of the well-understood fundamentals about algal blooms is that land use has a strong bearing on the types of nutrients that are delivered downstream to bloom-prone water bodies.
Urban development introduces new nutrients from sewage, manufactured fertilizer and rain-borne emissions from burned fuel to downstream parts of local drainage basins. Agriculture, especially row crops, can introduce manufactured fertilizer in large amounts to drainage basins. Intensive animal feed lots may also introduce excessive nutrients; hog farms in North Carolina and duck farms on Long Island are two well-known examples of intensive animal production leading to harmful algal blooms and lowered water quality. In Florida’s case, intensive feed lots are not common, but the other two land-use types are.
Also well-understood is that water stagnation encourages blooms by giving the algae enough time to remain in calm surface waters where the light needed for photosynthesis is most abundant. In Florida and elsewhere, water is withdrawn from rivers and streams for various municipal, agricultural and industrial purposes, and these withdrawals tend to increase the incidence of stagnation. On the other hand, there are coastal areas both inside and outside of Florida that are relatively immune to stagnation and algal-bloom formation because tidal flushing is strong there.
Once blooms have formed, they can have two types of effects, indirect and direct. The most prominent indirect effect is low dissolved oxygen in the water, or hypoxia. During a bloom, the algae produce dissolved oxygen while they photosynthesize during the day, but then consume dissolved oxygen at night in the dark as they respire.
Although the balance between these two opposing processes (photosynthesis vs. respiration) can be either positive or negative, the trend toward hypoxia becomes stronger as the algae from the bloom start to die off and decompose. First, the sick and dying cells stop producing as much oxygen through photosynthesis, and then the total amount of respiration surges once nonphotosynthetic bacteria start to break down the newly abundant, dead algae cells for food.
Hypoxia can lasts minutes to months, but is nearly permanent in some bodies of water.
Harms to many organisms
Why should we be concerned about hypoxia ? Basically, the answer is that hypoxia determines which animals can survive in a given body of water.
Hypoxia and anoxia (the complete absence of dissolved oxygen) kill aquatic organisms of all sizes, but the less-mobile bottom animals are usually the first to go. In some cases, hypoxia/anoxia spreads throughout much of the water body, resulting in fish kills. Even if fish kills do not occur, the likely loss of bottom animals eliminates a critically important food supply for the fish community.
Many aquatic animals, especially larger predators such as fish, obtain their energy from food webs that include bottom animals; even fish and other aquatic animals that do not eat bottom animals directly may be affected. A study of European fisheries revealed that this food-web effect translated into a dramatically changed composition of the fish community over a period of decades. As algal blooms became more common, highly valued fish that were once abundant in the harvest became scarce.
Toxicity, however, is the most direct effect of algal blooms. Some types of bloom are never toxic, but still cause harmful hypoxia, and others are toxic in some cases but not others.
Blooms of algal types such as the red tide organism (Karenia brevis, a dinoflagellate) always appear to be toxic once the blooms exceed a threshold density of cells. Karenia‘s toxic product, brevitoxin, mostly kills fish, although other marine life, including dolphins and manatees, have also been killed by red tide. Nutrients released from the decomposing fish are believed to prolong the blooms.
The toxins from various types of algal blooms can become dangerously concentrated within shellfish, especially filter-feeding clams, mussels, oysters and scallops. While the detection of blooms often leads to the closure of shellfish beds by authorities, human deaths have occurred in areas where such regulation does not exist, and also in areas where new blooms are believed to be forming for the first time, catching people off-guard.
One study identified 2,124 cases of saxitoxin poisoning in the Philippines, with 120 deaths between 1983 and 2002. These cases were attributed to Pyrodinium bahamense, the same dinoflagellate that blooms intensively in Tampa Bay, apparently without becoming very toxic (yet).
Researchers are starting to suspect that asthma and other human respiratory ailments are more related to algal blooms than previously believed. Also, there is concern that with continued environmental change, blooms that are presently mildly toxic could become far more toxic in the future.
Possible remedies
Given these economic, environmental, and human-health impacts at the coast, what can be done? In Florida, managers release freshwater from the interior to the coast for flood control and water supply. But ecosystem health at the coast must also be managed.
In accordance with the U.S. Clean Water Act, the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program, which sets pollution limits in bodies of water, is being implemented to lessen the nutrient runoff that fuels algal blooms. The TMDL program provides a geographic accounting of pollutant sources, including excessive nutrient runoff. Yet new blooms keep forming.
In addition to TMDLs, further development and implementation of best management practices for agricultural and urban land use needs to continue with the goal of curbing excessive nutrient runoff, particularly during rainy periods.
Detailed computer models of water circulation should be used more routinely in the course of water management to predict where coastal algal blooms are likely to form. Finally, natural wetland buffers should be used to intercept nutrients before they reach the coast (provided this does not cause a different set of problems in the interior), and the construction of engineered treatment wetlands should be considered.
In the Lake Okeechobee case, restoration of flow to the Everglades may go a long way toward solving Florida’s current problems at the coast.
Related:           CONVERSATIONS: Foul-Smelling Toxic Algae Triggers Air Safety ...     WMFE
On Algae Bloom, Obama Tells Florida: You Figure It Out   Triple Pundit
Local activists lobby in DC    Fort Myers Beach Talk
Algal blooms 'likely to flourish as temperatures climb'           The Straits Times
District: More water for bay   KeysNews.com
Costa Raising Awareness of Poor Water Quality in Florida  Sport Fishing

160719-b
District: More water for bay
KeysNews.com - by Brian Bowden, Free Press Staff
SOUTH FLORIDA — A South Florida Water Management District operational plan will provide as much as 6.5 billion gallons more fresh water per year to Florida Bay beginning in September, according to the state entity. 
The large body of water, used heavily by commercial and recreational anglers, is in desperate need of water after suffering a massive seagrass die-off in 2015 that wiped out a documented 22,000 acres. The die-off was caused by high salinity levels in the northeastern portion of the bay.
“This will go a long ways to helping [the current condition],” district Director of Everglades Policy and Coordination Ernie Marks told the Free Press.
The plan calls for canals, weirs and pump stations, among other structures, to push direct flow into Taylor Slough — the main freshwater tributary of the bay.
According to Akin Owosina, chief of the district’s hydrology and hydraulics bureau, this plan will send roughly 20,000 acre-feet of water more through the head of Taylor Slough. He said that is double previous amounts.
The plan still needs the go-ahead from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. According to the district, it will cost between $1.8 and $3.3 million.
Locally, some politicians are far from satisfied with the plan.
“They’re putting a Band-Aid on something that requires 20 stitches,” Village Councilman Mike Forster said. 
While Forster believes the water district wants to fix the bay, he accused the state of not prioritizing Everglades restoration projects that would benefit the bay. The SFWMD nine-person governing board is appointed by Gov. Rick Scott. The two Monroe County representatives are Melanie Peterson, a Sotheby’s International Realty agent in West Palm Beach, and Kevin Powers, an Indiantown Realty Corp. partner in West Palm Beach, he said.
“They [the water district] are feeling the pressure,” Forster said. “This [the plan] is just a great PR campaign.”
The plan comes on the heels of Islamorada adopting a resolution calling on state and federal officials to expedite billion-dollar Everglades and bay restoration efforts, including purchasing U.S. Sugar-owned land south of Lake Okeechobee for water storage purposes. The Monroe County Commission is expected to adopt a similar resolution at its meeting Wednesday, July 20, in Marathon.
The increased flow to Taylor Slough will not change the criteria spelled out under the district’s Minimum Flow and Levels rule, which Islamorada requested be increased to deliver more water to the bay.
Since the rule was adopted in 2006, the district is required to maintain at least a net discharge of 105,000 acre-feet of water into the northeastern part of the bay over a 365-day period. Flow is measured at the head of five Everglades tributaries, including Taylor Slough.
In August 2015, the flow dropped to roughly 78,000 acre-feet.
The district has violated the rule twice over the past 10 years with the first notice in 2008-09 and following in 2014-15. For a violation to occur, according to district Director of Water Resources Terrie Bates, salinity readings above natural seawater levels must happen on back-to-back years.
The new operational plan, according to Marks, serves as a “gap filler” until other long-term bay projects under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan can be completed.
Owosina also pointed out that this plan will have no adverse impacts on South Dade agricultural areas as it moves water west and not the east. In the past, environmentalists and farmers have gone head-to-head over water flow through the area. While the former said it is needed for sustainability of the Everglades and bay, the latter said it was flooding crops.

160718-a
Florida's Slime Coast is a State-sponsored disaster
Gizmodo.com.au – by Maddie Stone
July 18, 2016
The smell hit me as soon as I opened my car door — like rancid milk mixed with dog shit. I gasped for breath as humid air descended, filling my pores with the putrid odor.
“It’s been like this for three weeks,” Mary, the unhappy attendant at the deserted Central Marine boat dealer told me. “Last week it smelled like a dead animal. Today — I don’t even know.”
“Be careful out there,” she added as I headed off to the docks.
The reason for her warning was soon clear: at the water’s edge, the stench of fly-covered slime was almost impossible to bear. Eyes and lungs searing, I walked up and down the harbour snapping photos. The taste of the air was as bad as the smell.
This was my warm welcome to Stuart, Florida, whose St. Lucie estuary is currently suffocating under a vast, nutrient-fuelled algae bloom. The St. Lucie is no stranger to algae, but this summer’s slime is fouler and more widespread than anything locals have ever seen.
Not only does the water look and smell like a sewer, it’s potentially a serious health hazard. The Department of Environmental Protection has begun detecting microcystins, cyanobacteria toxins which if ingested can cause nausea, vomiting, and liver failure. Locals exposed to the rank odor of “guacamole thick” algae mats have complained of rashes, eye and skin irritation. Tourism is taking a nosedive.
It could get worse before it gets better.
And this is no accident. What’s happened to the St. Lucie is the latest symptom of a problem that can be traced 56km west to Lake Okeechobee, where years of mismanagement and entrenched agricultural interests have precipitated one ecological crisis after another.
“This is absolutely, positively a Lake Okeechobee issue,” oceanographer Zack Jud told me when I arrived at Florida’s Oceanographic Society a few miles away to learn what the hell was going on. “That’s where the whole crux of this problem lies.”
The second largest freshwater lake located entirely within the continental US, Okeechobee used to be the beating heart of the Everglades, connecting freshwater from the Kissimmee river in the north to the sawgrass prairies stretching more than 161km south. That all changed in the 1930s, when the US Army Corps of Engineers erected the a vast dike system around the lake in order to drain lands for settlement and cultivation. It was the first of many decisions that would forever alter the hydrology and ecology of the Everglades.
But water was still entering the lake from the north, and it had to go somewhere. So the Army Corps dredged two canals — one west, to the Caloosahatchee river, another east to the St. Lucie. Today, these man-made flow paths are Lake Okeechobee’s overflow valves.
“Initially, this wasn’t a problem,” Jud said. “It becomes a problem when you look at how the lake is managed.”
When the Army Corps first girdled the lake, flood prevention was the key motivating factor. (In 1928, thousands of people drowned after a major hurricane caused Lake Okeechobee to overflow.) Flooding remains a major concern today, but for a slightly different reason: large, politically powerful sugar companies, which own most of the land due south of the lake.
Sugar farms depend on Lake Okeechobee’s dike system to keep their fields from becoming swamps. But they also rely on the lake as an irrigation reservoir. “These are two completely conflicting uses, and they helped set up this year’s catastrophic algae bloom,” Jud said.
The trouble started last fall, with the onset of strong El Niño conditions that brought boatloads of rain to central Florida. Instead of keeping Lake Okeechobee low, the state allowed the lake to fill up to ensure there was ample water to irrigate farms throughout what is normally a dry winter. Only this year — thanks once again to El Niño — it turned out to be a very wet winter.
The result is that by early spring, Lake Okeechobee was becoming dangerously full. Fearing a catastrophic dike breach, the Army Corps began discharging billions of gallons of water a day through its canals, turning the St. Lucie estuary into a freshwater ecosystem overnight.
This alone would have harmed the oysters, seagrass, and other saltwater-adapted organisms living there. But it wasn’t exactly spring water entering the ecosystem. The discharges were filled with nitrogen and phosphorus-laden fertiliser, which seeps into Lake Okeechobee from farms to the north. This stuff was algae fuel.
And sure enough, as summer heated up, the slime came. First, algae blooms appeared on Lake Okeechobee itself, but neon green filaments were soon spotted flowing down canals and into the St. Lucie estuary. The algae bloom started making national headlines several weeks back, after Governor Rick Scott declared states of emergency in four afflicted Florida counties, and shortly before NASA released stunning satellite images depicting the scale of the problem. As of last week, the bloom encompassed over 200 square miles on Lake Okeechobee itself.
Coastal residents are fed up, and they have a right to be. Summer algae blooms like this have been a regular sight on the St. Lucie since 2011, and many feel that the state is ignoring a common-sense solution: restoring the natural flow of fresh water from Lake Okeechobee into the Everglades.
“We have too much freshwater flowing to the east and west, and not enough to the south,” Julie Hill-Gabriel, director of Everglades policy for Audubon Florida, told me over breakfast in Coral Gables. “This year was the ultimate depiction of Lake Okeechobee’s problems.”
For years, environmentalists like Hill-Gabriel have been calling for the state to purchase large parcels of land south of Lake Okeechobee that can be converted into “remediation wetlands,” which would clean fertiliser-fouled water before sending it into Everglades National Park. Not only would this take some pressure off the nutrient-loaded St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee, it’d bring additional freshwater to Florida Bay, where hypersaline conditions have resulted in an enormous seagrass die-off.
Two years back, Floridians voted overwhelmingly in support of a constitutional amendment which earmarked hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to purchase land for exactly this purpose. Instead, the state used the money to buy anything and everything else in the name of conservation. Environmentalists blame the sugar lobby, which opposed the land purchase and has helped bankroll the careers of prominent Florida politicians, including Governor Scott and Senator Marco Rubio.

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Food For Thought – Tools For Action
BDoutdoors.com - by Capt. Scott Goodwin
Jul 18, 2016
Throughout our country there are so many epic struggles going on in the natural world.  We as sportsman appreciate nature as much or more than those who don’t immerse themselves in Nature’s wonders.
Right now in Florida, one of the fishiest places in the country, our most precious resource, water, is in a total crisis from multiple contributing factors.  Most of these are man-made and have been accumulating negative effects for decades.  Now we seem to be at a tipping point in many areas and it is a drastic reminder of how we continue to interfere and meddle with Nature’s intricate system of balance.
The tendency is to say it is fragile, but actually it is incredibly resilient and only because our negative input is so strong, that these natural systems have been brought to the brink.
Please watch the original videos to learn more about the problem and the obtainable solutions.  There are no quick fixes, but there are viable long-term solutions that continue to be hindered by the interests of big business and their pet politicians.
Learn the facts and then please take action.  Sign the petitions, modify our own personal impacts and learn who to vote out and back in.
The long term solution is to correct our diversion of the natural flow of freshwater to the Everglades.  The water naturally flowed south and needs to again. In fact, Everglades National Park and Florida Bay are in peril from the lack of freshwater.  We’ve really messed up the historic plumbing of Florida.
Capt. Chris Whittman of Captains For Clean Water said, “If the country saw sludge and destruction being pumped into Yellowstone National Park, everyone would go crazy to stop it, yet the Everglades and other Florida estuaries are just as unique and special, yet they are being quietly suffocated and poisoned.”
Florida’s Amendment 1, which gave funding for preservation projects and land acquisition, had the support of 78% of Florida’s voters, an unprecedented majority, yet the elected officials deny the will of the people and use only a fraction of the money for its intended use.  The largest part of hundreds of millions of conservation dollars are funneled off for “administrative costs”. This is not new and the solutions have been procrastinated or sabotaged for twenty years.
Time is of the essence as more “don’t touch the water” signs go up and everyone who loves the water suffers.  Businesses are going under, property values and markets are collapsing and the option to buy the vital land needed to send water south are set to expire in 2020.  Politicians are saying we’ll talk about it in 2021, after the option expires. How convenient.  Please help us take action!  Lend us your voice no matter where you live.

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Former Pahokee mayor says septic tanks, not sugar farmers, are to blame for algae crisis
WPTV.com – by Niels Heimeriks
July 18, 2016
More water needs to go south, but how is the issue
Former Pahokee Mayor J.P. Sasser says that septic tanks are more responsible for the algae blooms than runoff from U.S. Sugar fields.
PAHOKEE, Fla. - In the wake of the algae crisis there has been no shortage of finger pointing.
Some argue that land owned by Florida sugar farmers, including U.S. Sugar, should not be used for farming but for water storage and treatment.
WPTV reached out to U.S. Sugar and met up with former Pahokee Mayor J.P. Sasser, who would speak on their behalf. When asked about his relationship with U.S. Sugar, Sasser said he is not getting paid but he is speaking up for the sugar giant because they are part of the community that he is part of and he feels the community is under attack.
We asked him if discharges from Lake Okeechobee were to blame for the algal blooms.
Sasser said, “Algae occurs naturally. Nothing really causes it but it takes advantage of excessive nutrients in the water. We have a nutrient load problem in the lake. We admit that, it’s coming from the north down the Kissimmee River and over from the Taylor Creek area. None of the water in the lake is coming from the south-end of the lake.
"It goes back to why does it fall on the shoulders of sugar to clean up industrial waste, human waste, more and more every day, the septic tank issue is at the front of the line. Why aren’t they just as adamant that we eliminate septic tanks that are polluting our waters than they are about pointing the finger to agriculture that has a documented record of cleaning up their water.”
In 2010 U.S. Sugar agreed to sell 46,000 acres of land south of the lake to the state as part of Everglades restoration.
In 2015 the South Florida Water Management District ended the deal, citing excessive cost.
After the deal fell apart U.S. Sugar was blamed by some for not being on board with Everglades restoration.  Not true says Sasser.
“First of all, I am totally for restoration of the Everglades. I don’t think you can find anyone who is against that. We are for sending more water south for the health of the Everglades. And Florida Bay and all of the environment down there.”
Though there is agreement about the big picture, solutions aren’t as simple as they might seem, according to Sasser
“You’ve got federal roadblocks, you’ve got environmental roadblocks, you’ve got physical roadblocks, there’s a lot of things that need to be overcome. We all agree more water needs to go south.  You won’t find anybody who argues that point. It is the best way to get it south is where we’re differing.”

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Sen. Rubio meets with local leaders to discuss water legislation
NBC-2.com
July 18, 2016
FORT MYERS -
Florida Senator Marco Rubio was in downtown Fort Myers Monday to talk with local officials about the Lake Okeechobee water releases and the impact on coastal waters and the Caloosahatchee River.
Senator Rubio stressed the importance of passing the Central Everglades planning project which would allow more water to be directed south into the Central Everglades through public land.
Local tourism leaders, mayors, and fishing guides expressed their frustration, calling for more public involvement to develop a concrete plan to lessen the impact of Lake Okeechobee releases on our coast when levels are too high.
A big concern seemed to be that leaders are having a tough time motivating people to get involved and realize that the releases will have not just an immediate but long term impact on tourism, property values and getting people to move to Southwest Florida. 
Everyone in the meeting seemed to want an answer about when we will begin seeing improvements. 
While the senator stressed state leaders are closer than ever to passing water legislation, even after that it will take at least a decade to see major water quality improvements.

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Curing Florida's man-made algae crisis will take time, money, science
Associated Press, NOLA.com
July 17, 2016
STUART, Fla. (AP) — The enormous algae outbreak that has coated swaths of Florida's St. Lucie River with guacamole-like sludge is a man-made affliction, arising from political and economic decisions made over the past 140 years.
Chasing dollars, Florida land developers and their government allies broke up nature's flow that used rivers, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades to move water south from central Florida to the Florida Bay at the peninsula's tip. That spurred Florida's economic growth, but it came with a price: Rivers and lagoons have periodically become so toxic with green and brown slime that fish die off, residents are sickened and tourists stay away.
The algae-laden runoff flowing down rivers and estuaries after this year's heavy winter rains has hit especially hard along the St. Lucie River nearing the heavily populated Atlantic beaches.
It's an oft-recurring problem. Yet joint federal and state projects agreed upon in 2000 by former Democratic President Bill Clinton and then-Republican Gov. Jeb Bush have been slow to materialize amid tight budgets and political opposition.
WHAT CAUSES SEVERE ALGAE OUTBREAKS ?
It's complicated, but the simple answer is humans. From the late 1800s well into the 1900s, business interests with government cooperation sought to drain the Everglades so land could be developed. Water that naturally flowed south from Lake Okeechobee through the Everglades to Florida Bay was diverted east and west into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers and out to sea.
Around the lake, farms, ranches and homes sprang up, producing human and animal waste and fertilizer, all laden with phosphorus and nitrogen that fast-reproducing algae feast upon. Florida's heavy seasonal rains wash the pollutants into the lake and slow-moving rivers, prompting massive blooms almost annually in Florida's summer heat.
WHAT ARE THE OUTBREAKS' CONSEQUENCES ?
Environmental, health and economic. Outbreaks kill fish and other plants by sucking oxygen from the water and releasing toxins. Toxins in the food chain can kill birds, reptiles and mammals. Humans fall sick by touching or breathing toxins. Boaters, fishermen and beachgoers stay away as waters look and smell rancid.
WHAT ARE THE SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS ?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District, which control much of the flow through levees and gates, are holding more water north of Lake Okeechobee and sending less water into the rivers. That has alleviated the immediate outbreak, at least in the river. An algae bloom in the lake covers 200 square miles.
WHAT ABOUT LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS ?
Gov. Rick Scott wants to spend unspecified millions to get homeowners off septic tanks and onto sewer lines, reducing nutrient runoff.
Scott also wants federal authorities to expedite an $880 million project strengthening a dike which surrounds Lake Okeechobee, controlling its water flow. The 18-year project is scheduled for completion in 2025; Scott wants it done faster. Democrats and Republicans are at odds over who's to blame for not allocating extra money.
Eric Draper, Audubon Florida's executive director, said strengthening the Herbert Hoover Dike "won't do anything" to alleviate algae because the Army Corps of Engineers will never significantly raise Lake Okeechobee's water level.
John Campbell, a Corps spokesman, said even with expedited funding, it's unclear how much faster the project could be completed — given there are only so many qualified contractors to do the work.
WHAT ARE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS PROPOSING ?
Some environmentalists say nature has the best solution: Let the water flow south into the Everglades as it did before man intervened. That's what was proposed in the then-$7.8 billion pact Clinton and Bush negotiated 16 years ago.
To achieve that end, retention reservoirs covering 90 square miles would be built south of Lake Okeechobee. Supporters say the water could be cleaned of phosphorus, nitrogen and other pollutants before releasing it into the Everglades. They say that also would improve the health of Florida Bay, which lost seagrass when dwindling freshwater turned the bay water too salty.
DOES EVERYONE AGREE ?
No. Brian LaPointe, an algae researcher at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, said scrubbing the water of so much nitrogen would be nearly impossible. Besides, nitrogen-laden water would be a disaster for the Florida Bay, its seagrass and its coral, he said. Instead, he recommends reducing the amount of nutrients that farmers, ranchers and residents near the lake leech into the water.
COULD THE RESERVIOR PLAN BE ENACTED ?
That's doubtful in the current political climate. The plan would require buying land owned by powerful cane growers U.S. Sugar Corp. and Florida Crystals. U.S. Sugar struck a deal in 2008 to sell 300 square miles of land to the state for $1.7 billion, but Florida's economy tanked, the state ran low on money, legislators balked and the company changed its mind. Only 42 square miles were purchased for $197 million.

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History of flushing Lake Okeechobee dates back to 1800s
News-Press.com - by Cynthia A. Williams
July 17, 2016
To paraphrase an old joke, when you’re up to your whatever in sewage, it’s difficult to remember that your original objective was to drain the swamp.
Think of “the swamp” in this joke as the Everglades. The Everglades is a vast space. It begins at Lake Okeechobee and declines in elevation all the way down to below sea level at Florida Bay.
Originally occupying 4,000 square miles of south Florida, the sawgrass marsh of the Glades was actually a slow-moving river descending from Lake Okeechobee in overflow to the sea. Other ecosystems within the Glades are hardwood hammocks, pineland, cypress swamps, mangrove and coastal prairie, and the marine ecosystem of Florida Bay itself.
Even before Florida was a state, Americans have been studying the “Ever Glades,” drumming their chins with their fingertips, trying to figure out how to drain what they considered to be a big useless swamp and turn it into productive and profitable farmland.
The early builders of Fort Myers were particularly eager to drain the swamp, because the only way in to the Glades at the time was the Caloosahatchee River and Fort Myers would be the port of entry for the millions of new settlers needing overnight accommodations, supplies and passage upriver. Dollar signs danced in their eyes.
However, things didn’t go exactly as planned. The Caloosahatchee became a pipeline between the tank (Lake Okeechobee) and the toilet (Florida Bay) and Fort Myers ended up on the downside of a toilet flush.
It seemed like a good idea at the time
Interest in draining the Everglades began as early as 1837, eight years before Florida became a state. The second Seminole war (1835-1842) brought the U.S. army to the wetlands of south Florida and focused the attention of the nation upon them. Almost immediately after the war ended, Congress directed the secretary of war to prepare a report “in relation to the practicability and probable expense of draining the Everglades of Florida.”
The report described the “Ever Glades” as “suitable only for the haunt of noxious vermin or the resort of pestilent reptiles,” and requested an appropriation of ½ million to drain them. In 1850, Congress opened debate on the proposed Swamp and Overflowed Lands Act, which gave states title to any wetlands they could “reclaim.”
But first, time out for war
A third Indian war intervened, followed by the Civil War, but when the U.S. had succeeded in reeling the Confederate states back into the Union, the subject of draining the Everglades came up again. Florida’s Internal Improvement Fund (IIF) agency, tasked with improving the infrastructure of Florida with roads, railways and canals, found a Pennsylvania real estate developer named Hamilton Disston interested in the Everglades project. Disston gave the IIF $1 million for 4,000,000 acres of land in south Florida, which he promised to drain in return for title to half of the reclaimed land.
Exciting times
On September 21, 1881, a tug came slowly upriver to Fort Myers. Gliding in tow behind the boat was a contraption that probably awed the townsmen, delighted the kids and worried the townswomen. It was the monster dredge that was going to gnaw its way up the Caloosahatchee, with its terrible teeth widening, deepening and straightening the twisting upper reaches of the river all the way to its headwaters at Lake Hicpochee. From the lake, Disston’s engineers would dynamite and claw their way to Lake Okeechobee, opening a canal for the discharge of Everglades water from the Kissimmee River basin via the Caloosahatchee River into the Gulf of Mexico. It was possibly the largest reclamation project in the history of the nation.
However, things didn’t go exactly as planned. The predicted “reclamation of millions of acres, containing some of the most vital sugar lands in the United States,” fizzled in the stubborn standing water of the dad-blasted ever-lasting Everglades. Simply stated, Disston’s drainage canals didn’t drain. In 1888, he called a halt to the dredging operations and despite having failed to reclaim so much as one acre of wetland, walked off with a gift from friends in Tallahassee of 2 million acres of land.
Promises and politicians
The subject came up again in 1904.
In the gubernatorial election of that year, Napoleon Bonaparte Broward ran on the promise of reclaiming the Glades “for the people.” He was elected. Efforts to “drain that abominable pestilence-ridden swamp" began again.
James Wright, a USDA engineer, drew up a report stating that draining the Glades would not be difficult or costly; he calculated that eight canals designed to hold a maximum daily rainfall of 4 inches would be sufficient to drain 1,850,000 acres. Land speculators went into frenzied overtime, advertising the Everglades as “The Promised Land,” where crops and livestock would attain mythic proportions with little effort. People from all walks of life poured into Fort Myers’ hotels and boarding houses, booking passage by steamers upriver to Lake Okeechobee.
In 1910, Congress passed the River and Harbors Act, appropriating $121,000 to deepen the Caloosahatchee River channel. Victory over the evil forces of nature seemed assured.
However, things didn’t go exactly as planned. Wright came under the scrutiny of the U.S. House of Representatives, to whom Wright’s USDA colleagues testified that he was “absolutely and completely incompetent for any engineering work."
Land values sank, sales plunged. Land developers were sued and arrested for mail fraud, leaving the people who had invested their life savings in the land wading around in water black with the larvae of mosquitoes. Mired in muck that neither mules nor tractors could plow, people had tried to burn off the sawgrass, only to discover that the underlying peat kept on burning, desiccating the soil that then blew around them like clouds of gunpowder. By 1914, it was obvious that the experiment was over.
Here they come again
Incredibly, six years later, the land developers, trailed by hopeful settlers, were coming back. Efforts to drain the Glades had been dismal failures, but on the slightly elevated, natural levee areas around the lake, experiments in soil improvement had made the production of sugarcane and vegetables possible. By 1921, 2,000 people lived in little start-up communities like Moore Haven (“Little Chicago”) and Belle Glade (“Muck City”) created to contain them. Clewiston was cut out of whole cloth to house agricultural workers brought in to labor in the sugar cane fields.
However, things didn’t go exactly as planned. The levees built around Lake Okeechobee were only 18 to 24 inches above the level of the lake. On September 16, 1926, a levee engineer predicted that in the event of high winds, “Moore Haven is going under…” Two days later, a category 5 hurricane struck and 1/3 of the people in Moore Haven, including the engineer’s wife and daughter, drowned.
On September 16, 1926, another hurricane-driven storm surge collapsed the levee and thousands more drowned, many of the bodies unrecoverable.
Flood control became the new priority in Everglades reclamation.
The U.S. Army, back in the field
The war upon the Everglades now passed from individual and state control to federal. In 1929, the Okeechobee Flood Control District was formed, and the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) took over field operations. The USACE built an earth berm 35 feet high to encompass the 730 square miles of Lake Okeechobee and named the dike after President Herbert Hoover.
Then they dug east from the lake to the St. Lucie River and west to the Caloosahatchee and named this new 155-mile cross-state channel the Okeechobee Waterway. We had opened a scenic shortcut between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The rivers thus joined to the great Okeechobee would serve, incidentally, as conduits for the discharge of excess water from the lake.
And for once, things went exactly as planned.
Let the games begin
A well-intended but fool’s game of Slice and Dike ensued. The newly established Central and South Florida Flood Control Project (C&SF) severed Lake Okeechobee from its headwaters (the Kissimmee River basin), sliced the Glades below the lake into sections for agriculture (the Everglades Agricultural Area or EAA) and water conservation (Water Conservation Areas or WCAs), and ran canals from the lake to the WCA reservoirs smack dab through the sugar cane fields of the EAA…
…sending toxic agricultural runoff into the WCA reservoirs, which drain into our nature preserves and the underlying Biscayne Aquifer from which we draw our drinking water, and into our rivers, which deliver the contaminated water to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
To understand the whole of the damage done to the ecosystems of the Everglades in the great pump and spigot chase of the past half century is tantamount to tracing the DNA of the most complex mosaic of interdependent animal and vegetative life on earth. In taking over from nature the management of water flow into and out of the Glades to meet the needs of U.S. Sugar and the exploding population of our urban areas, we have undermined the sustainability of both. But that is the subject of another story.
Suffice it to say that we have tracked down the perpetrator of the Okeechobee Flush. As Walt Kelly succinctly put it in his “Pogo” comic strip, “We have met the enemy and they are us.”

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Perspective: Florida too weak on water protection
StAugustine.com
July 17, 2016
Florida’s most valuable commodity — water — stirs visceral perspectives about environmental protections like nothing else. Tallahassee appears less than enthusiastic about the vast value of water, from tourism and development to recreation and wildlife. Instead, special interests command interest as history shows.
The current thick, toxic algae blooms spreading across the coast and other waterways in South Florida highlights the inexcusable procrastination on solving the flood of polluted water discharged from Lake Okeechobee. The Army Corps of Engineers is releasing billions of gallons of water polluted mostly from agricultural runoff that is saturated with fertilizer and other nutrients that feed algae blooms. The sludge is devastating the rivers and estuaries as well as the communities and businesses along those waters. Gov. Rick Scott and state water managers ignored countless warnings over the years about this inevitable disaster.
While there is no direct impact on Manatee County that can currently be measured, tourism officials across Florida fear vacation cancellations based on media reports that show the massive environmental disaster — similar to the reaction from the devastating 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Too little, too late, the governor declared Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Lee counties disaster areas and then had the nerve to challenge President Obama — long Scott’s political target — for federal money to repair the 143-mile earthen dike, built to prevent devastating flooding across southern Florida. This comes from a governor who has eschewed federal funds for political reasons for years, to the detriment of Floridians.
New state water policy put polluters in charge on several key fronts.
While issuing his disaster declaration, the governor also blamed the president and the federal government for not properly funding dike maintenance and repairs. Florida is fully complicit in denying an adequate share of funds to lake sustainability, and delay after delay has led to the present catastrophe. Toxic algae blooms have been occurring for years, and immediate action should be undertaken to prevent more.
Following the pattern of Tallahassee’s shameful record on environmental protection over the years, in January one legislative leader hyped a bill as a “historic” move to “modernize” state water policy. But the end product, adopted into law, was fashioned by special interests — actually eviscerating enforceable regulations against polluters. One preposterous provision allows the agricultural industry to oversee itself under the pretense of a so-called “best management practices” arrangement. In addition, large water users can dawdle for decades to satisfy clean-up goals. And there are no penalties for breaking the weak rules. Those stand in direct opposition to environmental protection.
In a letter to Scott, former Florida senator and governor Bob Graham described the bill as “blatantly” favoring special interests and he urged its rejection. Scott, though, remained tone deaf to serious environmental protection by signing the measure.
In another move subverting environmental protection, a 2010 law designed to protect water quality required inspections of septic tanks once every five years. But two years later, the Legislature repealed the statute.
Legislature not following most of Amendment 1’s environmental mandates.
The best that can be said about Amendment 1, overwhelming passed in 2014 by Florida voters obviously alarmed by state indifference to the environment, is it forced the Legislature to act on Everglades restoration. The 2016 Florida Legacy Act requires $200 million annually for two decades be spent on that project. Otherwise, lawmakers have been acting disinterested in meaningful action on other amendment priorities, from land-buying to springs restoration, and they still refuse to fully implement the amendment.
Florida had the opportunity of a lifetime to purchase farmland south of Lake Okeechobee for water storage — in a deal that then-Gov. Charlie Crist arranged. But Big Sugar flexed its political muscle — gained through campaign checks amounting to $57 million over 22 years — and had Tallahassee kill the deal.
Because of Florida’s subtropical climate, no water body is immune from algae blooms should nutrients such as phosphate and nitrogen be present, mostly from residential runoff and agricultural fertilizers. But natural nutrients are everywhere in underground rock and waterway sediment. The algae on Lake Manatee, though, does not form into toxic blooms thanks to constant monitoring and preventive measures such as algaecide and water circulators.
Manatee County vigorously protects its most precious resource. Tallahassee should too.

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Toxic water crisis: A Florida finale of horror or leadership ? Where We Stand
Orlando Sentinel
July 17, 2016
he toxic tide of algae that has swamped waterways and beaches on Florida's Treasure Coast is a catastrophe for the region's environment and tourist-driven economy. It's also a broader threat to the state's international reputation as a vacation paradise.
But it's only the latest chapter in a long-running horror story written by state leaders through years of neglect of their responsibilities as stewards of Florida's environment.
The next chapter could be unfolding to the north, in the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County, where state wildlife officials recently reported an uptick in deaths of one of Florida's iconic animals, manatees. Officials are still investigating the cause, but another outbreak of algae fed by nutrient-polluted water is a prime suspect.
The same suspect has been linked to the mortality of more than 150 manatees in the area over the past four years, as well as the deaths of brown pelicans, bottlenose dolphins and many species of fish. Earlier this year, an algae bloom in the same waters caused the area's worst fish kill in memory — yet another chapter in the horror story.
Gov. Rick Scott has responded to the Treasure Coast algae outbreak by declaring a state of emergency in three counties and, predictably, trying to shift blame to the Obama administration. Specifically, Scott has faulted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for moving too slowly to bolster the aging dike that protects communities and sugar farms south of Lake Okeechobee from possible flooding. Waters in the lake are polluted with nutrients from fertilizer, sewage and storm water. When the waters rise and put too much pressure on the dike, the corps flushes them to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, where they have contributed to environmentally disastrous consequences.
While dike repairs are years overdue, the pace on the project depends on funding set by Congress, not by the president or the corps. And the condition of the dike would be less critical if state leaders did more to reduce pollution in the water entering and leaving the lake, along with other waterways throughout the state.
Scott and other leaders in Florida have fought off efforts from federal regulators to toughen the state's water-quality standards. This year, the Legislature passed, and Scott quickly signed, a water-policy bill that essentially allows major agricultural producers — whose fertilizer use is a top contributor to water pollution — to police themselves. Scott rebuffed a plea from former Gov. Bob Graham to veto the bill, which he called "a purposeful effort to weaken protection and management of Florida's water resources."
Shortly after taking office in 2011, Scott pushed through tax cuts that slashed funding for the regional agencies charged with protecting the state's water supply from pollution and over pumping. Those water management districts were forced to lay off staff and scale back their programs and enforcement activities.
Last year Scott, lawmakers and the governor's appointees on the South Florida Water Management District let an option expire on purchasing sugar-industry-owned land south of Lake Okeechobee so that more lake water could be treated and sent south into the Everglades, rather than routed to the coasts. Environmentalists pushed for the purchase, but the industry — which has contributed more than $50 million to state and local political campaigns since 1994 — proved more persuasive with lawmakers in opposing it.
Belatedly, some top lawmakers are now talking about the need to purchase land south of the Lake. State voters' passage in 2014 of a constitutional amendment reserving hundreds of millions of dollars a year in real-estate taxes for land and water conservation could provide the necessary dollars. But in the past couple of years, lawmakers have diverted hundreds of millions of those funds to routine expenses.
Besides bashing the Obama administration, Scott has responded to the Treasure Coast catastrophe by promising to put money in his next budget to help cover the cost of replacing septic tanks with sewer systems. Leaking septic tanks are a major source of nutrient pollution, but it's worth remembering that in 2011, Scott oversaw the repeal of a state program intended to identify leaking tanks.
If Scott and other state leaders are as worried as they should be about the growing risk that Florida's serial water crises could permanently damage the state's economy, they'll finally tackle a list of priorities that they've neglected until now, including:
•A credible statewide policy to control the use of agricultural fertilizer.
•A comprehensive, well-funded plan to reduce pollution from septic tanks and wastewater-treatment systems.
•An upgrade, after some 30 years, of stormwater-management standards.
•A restoration of the budgets and activities of the water-management districts.
Action is needed soon, or this horror story could end very badly for Florida.
Related:           Water woes bring Sen. Nelson to Caloosahatchee for look    WTSP.com

160717-e
U.S. Rep. Graham asks Gov. Scott to call special session on Lake O crisis
FloridaBulldog.org - by Francisco Alvarado
July 17, 2016
In a sharply worded rebuke of Rick Scott, U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham (D-FL) urged the governor to call a special legislative session to deal with the toxic algae bloom discharges from Lake Okeechobee threatening the state’s ecosystem as well as the tourism and fishing industries.
In a July 13 letter to the state’s chief executive, Graham said a special session focusing on short-term and long-term solutions that prevent future algae blooms should be his top priority. She added Floridians are “hungry” for the Republican governor to show leadership on the issue.
“Your administration has ignored sea-level rise, weakened water-quality standards and dismantled environmental protections,” Graham wrote. “If you continue on your current course, your legacy will not be cutting taxes or creating jobs — it will be as the first governor in modern times, Republican or Democrat, who actively worked to harm Florida’s environment.”
Despite Graham’s criticisms, a Scott spokeswoman told Florida Bulldog there are no plans to call a special session. The North Florida congresswoman was responding to Scott’s written plea to Florida’s congressional delegation seeking support for a federal emergency declaration and funds to repair Lake Okeechobee’s Herbert Hoover Dike.
The Army Corps of Engineers has been opening the dike in recent weeks, releasing large amounts of harmful freshwater into nearby canals, lakes and rivers. The discharges are necessary to prevent the dike from rupturing and flooding populated areas in Martin, St. Lucie, Lee and Palm Beach counties.
In an email response to a reporter’s inquiry, Lauren Schenone, Scott’s press secretary, said the governor’s office is looking at all options at the state level to address the effects caused by the frequent discharges of water from Lake Okeechobee.
“Governor Scott’s number one priority is ensuring the safety of our families, visitors and Florida’s natural treasures,” Schenone said. “That is why he has called upon President Obama to declare a federal emergency… Although the President has failed to do what is needed to address this growing issue, the State of Florida will devote every available resource to find solutions for the families and businesses in this area.”
In a written statement, Graham told Florida Bulldog that Scott is wasting valuable time playing the blame game. “Republicans and Democrats across the state are heartbroken and angry seeing our waters covered in algae,” Graham said. “The time to act to solve this problem is now. We can’t afford to kick the can down the road until the next crisis hits.”
In her letter to Scott, Graham — who dropped her reelection bid and is considering a 2018 gubernatorial run — suggested he “use the bipartisan outrage over today’s crisis to work with the legislature, controlled by your own party, to pass real solutions to protect us from future environmental and economic disasters.”
Graham also called on the governor to fulfill the 2014 will of the voters to buy land south of Lake Okeechobee and restore the Everglades natural water flow; and replace his political appointees on the South Florida Water Management District with scientists, engineers and conservationists.

160716-a
Looking for substance in officials' water claims
News-Press.com – by Joe Workman
July 16, 2016
Hurrah, the cavalry is coming to the rescue!
Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency. The slime is on the run. Tourism is saved. Clean water for everybody.
Don't hold your breath  We've heard these old songs of salvation before. However, Lake Okeechobee floodgates still are opening, fish and vegetation are dying, beachfront waters are repulsive and tourists are heading back to the hinterland.
Lee County is not alone in this tragic play. Right now, Florida's east coast has it worse.  Residents there are confronted with stinking green slime flowing from the St. Lucie River and three counties also are under the state of emergency.
And communities around the lake live in the shadow of a dam that someday could sweep away their livelihoods, their homes and their families.  
So exactly what does a governor's declaration of emergency mean in this case?  Let's go to the experts (politicians) for enlightenment.  State representative Matt Caldwell of North Fort Myers  cheered:
"It's fantastic news.  ....State emergency is about mitigating the immediate services."   He further  says that the emergency declaration gives the county access to statewide, centralized services and allows staff to look at things in a different light.
State Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto traveled to The News-Press and later proclaimed: "Thanks to this declaration Lee County will have state resources such as increased and faster testing, a dedicated algae bloom hotline, and more focus on additional storage options, as well as an increased focus on finding near term solutions."
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson rushed to the scene with the usual proclamations that "something ought to be done about it."
What does all this prattle amount to for Lee County ?  It doesn't mean squat so far. Just consider: "mitigating immediate services," ..." looking at things in a different light"...""increased focus on finding near term solutions".  Not much meat on those bones.
Former U. S. Rep. and ex-CIA Director Porter Goss, an early spokesman for environmental protection, said it clearly: "There needs to be an answer and there has to be some activity to give credibility to that answer.  It's not enough to just say I support clean water or I want clean beaches, too."  Exactly.
Politicians and bureaucrats constantly crow about  their efforts to cleanse our waterways.  So where are the results?   When does it get fixed?  When do men and machinery go into action? Platitudes aren't very effective at cleaning waterways.
We hear about hundreds of millions of dollars in the pipeline, so when are they going to buy land to send dam water south to ease the pressure and replenish the Everglades ?  When do they actually build the big reservoir to the east to  corral water until it's fit to send on down the river ? When  do they stop posturing and actually do something ?
Until that happens, releases will continue,  fish will die and  tourists will take their money elsewhere.
And our water still will be nasty. Count on it.

160716-b
Will a reservoir south of Lake O save the St. Lucie Estuary?
Palm Beach Post - by Christine Stapleton, Staff Writer
July 16, 2016
At rallies and public hearings, on bumper stickers and posters, the solution to the algae fouling the St. Lucie Estuary sounds simple: Buy the land. Send the water south.
But nothing in Everglades restoration is simple. Every dollar spent, shovel of dirt turned and drop of water redirected will anger or please someone. And nothing makes this more evident than the recent outbreak of blue-green algae gumming up the once-pristine estuary.
“This won’t be solved by sound bites or signs that say ‘Buy the land’ and ‘Move the water south,’” South Florida Water Management District board member James Moran told a room of angry and skeptical estuary advocates at Thursday’s board meeting. “We have to look beyond our own parochial vision and cooperate with our neighbors and get this problem solved.”
The main culprit in this year’s algae outbreak remains the same as decades past: Billions of gallons of water from Lake Okeechobee that must be flushed into the estuary because the aging dike around the swollen lake could breach and the lake needs space to hold the rainy season’s potential storms. The flurry of finger-pointing is familiar, too.
Environmentalists blame sugar cane growers — collectively known as Big Sugar — whom they say have polluted the lake with nutrient-rich fertilizers that fuel the algae blooms when lake water is flushed into the estuary. Instead of sending the lake water south — potentially damaging the cane fields — the water is dumped into the estuary, they say.
Cane growers say environmental groups use the algae blooms to raise money to further the environmental community’s relentless effort to eradicate the sugar industry from South Florida. It’s not just us, sugar growers say. What about cattle farms north of the lake and residents’ septic tanks and runoff from yards, roads, parking lots and golf courses?
State lawmakers, water managers and Gov. Rick Scott blame federal officials for not fixing the dike, not paying their fair share of the massive Everglades restoration plan and allowing projects to get bogged down in bureaucratic red tape.
Amid the blame game, two proposed solutions that were soundly shot down after the last algae bloom have been resurrected: Buy the land. Move the water south.
Buy the land
When Everglades restoration got underway in 2000 there was no question that the South Florida Water Management District would need to buy land in the Everglades Agricultural Area south of Lake Okeechobee, where historically water had followed on a nearly imperceptible path south toward the Everglades and Florida Bay.
And so the district bought hundreds of thousands of acres of mostly farmland and built water conservation areas and massive wetlands, where plants feast on nutrients to remove such elements as phosphorous, filtering water from the lake and farmland.
As for storage south of the lake, the district went big in 2006 when it began construction of the world’s largest man-made reservoir. Located in southwestern Palm Beach County, the 16,700-acre A1 reservoir would hold enough water to fill more than 100,000 Olympic-size swimming pools and provide the storage needed to protect the estuary from discharges from the lake.
But two years and $272 million into construction, the South Florida Water Management District suddenly ordered work on the reservoir halted in May 2008. The reason the district gave: mounting costs and the uncertain outcome of a lawsuit filed by environmental groups.
A month later, then Gov. Charlie Crist — soon to be a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate — announced his own restoration plan: a $1.75 billion buyout of U.S. Sugar Corp. and its 180,000-acre farming empire mostly south of the lake. District officials said Crist’s U.S. Sugar deal did not influence their decision one month earlier to halt work on the reservoir. However, they conceded they could not pay for both at once.
The Miccosukee Tribe filed a lawsuit to force the district to finish the reservoir, which would prevent their lands in the southern Everglades from being flooded. Ironically, the Everglades Foundation — now leading the effort to build a reservoir south of the lake — supported legal efforts to abandon construction of the A1 reservoir in favor of buying U.S. Sugar land.
Land buy rejected
As the economy tanked and state legislators picked apart the deal and Crist fell out of favor with his own party, so did the U.S. Sugar deal. In 2010 the district bought 26,800 acres of the original 180,000 for $194 million. Crist lost his Senate bid to an intraparty upstart, Marco Rubio. His deputy chief of staff, Eric Eikenberg, went on to become chief executive of the Everglades Foundation.
Embedded in the contract of the scaled-down land buy were two options: buy another 46,800 acres by October 2015 or purchase the remaining 156,000 acres of the originally proposed deal by 2020. The costs would be higher, based on current market conditions, not the price Crist negotiated. Despite protests by environmental activists chanting “Buy the land,” district officials voted against the deal in May 2015.
But when blue-green algae was discovered a year later, environmental groups and activists reignited the “Buy the land” campaign. Among supporters, former West Palm Beach City Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell, now the executive director of the Everglades Trust, an affiliate of the Everglades Foundation.
Mitchell sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott on July 6 asking Scott to begin meetings with major landowners south of the lake. If no one wants to sell, “please immediately begin the process of eminent domain,” Mitchell wrote.
Republican Sen. Joe Negron, the incoming Senate president whose district encompasses the estuary, has said that he, too, supports buying land south of the lake.
Negron, whose wife, Rebecca, is running for a U.S. House seat out of Martin County, did not return calls for comment. U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, a Republican, and Bill Nelson, a Democrat, also have weighed in on the estuary’s woes.
On Thursday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, seeking the Democratic nomination to run for Rubio’s Senate seat, filed a bill that would create a $750 million federal matching grant program for states to buy land for water projects, such as “estuary restoration.”
Plan’s shortcomings
At Thursday’s board meeting, representatives of the state’s top environmental groups said they supported buying more land south of the lake but were non-committal about whether the district should fulfill its 156,000-acre U.S. Sugar option or buy land elsewhere.
“Let’s start planning,” said Cara Capp, Everglades restoration planning director at the National Parks Conservation Association. Capp joined officials from several environmental groups in urging the district to include planning for projects south of the lake in reviews scheduled to begin this week.
“Right now we don’t know if there are any willing sellers in the EAA but we need to have a plan ready,” she said.
But that plan already exists, opponents of the land buy say: The Central Everglades Planning Project, or CEPP, a suite of storage, cleaning and conveyance projects south of the lake expected to take 13 years. CEPP narrowly made the deadline for federal approval after an intense campaign headed by the Everglades Foundation.
In pitching CEPP, the foundation said CEPP would be the best way to restore the estuary and Caloosahatchee River, a western outlet to the Gulf of Mexico that also receives billions of gallons of lake water. According to the foundation’s educational materials, CEPP “will reduce damaging high discharges east into the St. Lucie River by 50 percent, and reduce discharges west into the Caloosahatchee River by 25 percent.”
The foundation now says CEPP “is about conveyance and flow” and does not replace the need for a reservoir south of the lake. The foundation has not identified where a reservoir should be built in the 500,000-acre area south of the lake. The two biggest landowners are U.S. Sugar and the Fanjul families’ Florida Crystals, both politically powerful.
The foundation wants planning for a southern reservoir to start now rather than in four years and says if all agencies speed their reviews, a reservoir could be built in four years. Such a reservoir could cost as much as $2 billion. Without that option, it could be at least a decade before there’s large-scale relief for the estuaries, Eikenberg said.
Revise old option
There is another storage option south of the lake that doesn’t require additional land: Build a version of the original A1 reservoir, which morphed into a shallow water basin as part of a legal settlement after the district halted construction.
It could be re-engineered into an above-ground reservoir. Or, a reservoir and cleansing project could be designed using the A1 reservoir and 15,000 acres next to it called the Talisman property, land the district already owns.
As for buying more land from U.S. Sugar, the water district board has shown no interest. Residents of the glades wearing T-shirts with #OurLivesMatterToo told the board they don’t want the district to buy more land in their communities.
“It’s easy to just parrot a phrase like ‘Buy the land,’ but what that really means is destroy jobs,” said Hendry County Commissioner Janet Taylor. “For every acre of sugar cane that is lost, our jobs are lost in the fields, in the factories and in supporting jobs in every one of our communities.”
Barbara Miedema, vice president of public affairs and communications at the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative, said the region already has lost more than 100,000 acres of farmland to Everglades restoration. The cooperative, whose members are small growers of sugar cane and vegetables, can’t afford to lose more land.
“It will turn our area into ghost towns,” Miedema said.
Judy Sanchez, spokeswoman for U.S. Sugar, criticized the environmentalists’ approach.
“If activists had their way, billions of dollars would be diverted from existing approved and engineered projects … and instead be used to buy surplus land that would not yield enough storage capacity to handle more than ‘a drop in the bucket’ of Lake Okeechobee discharges.”
Instead of continuing to focus on storage south of the lake, Moran suggested looking at water storage and treatment options north of Lake Okeechobee — among the recommendations made in an independent technical review by the University of Florida Water Institute after the 2013 algae outbreak.
Water north of the lake contains nutrients from dairy and cattle ranching along with runoff from lands south of Orlando. Storing and cleaning that water before it gets into the lake and then flushed into the estuaries make sense, Moran said.
“If you want to clean up the lake, you’ve got to clean up the water going into the lake,” Moran said. “Then you won’t have algae blooms in the future.”
Move the water south
Even if there were a reservoir, water managers say moving water south to rehydrate the Everglades is far more complicated than opening flood gates and turning on pumps. Obstacles include protecting endangered species, complying with court orders and ensuring no flooding of the homelands of the Miccosukee Tribe.
Among other constraints:
●  Pumps, canals and other structures are not capable of moving large volumes from the lake to the Everglades.
●  The Endangered Species Act and other federal environmental regulations limit how much water can be moved south to protect migratory birds and prevent nests from being inundated.
●  Strict water regulation schedules set maximum limits on water depth in conservation areas.
The East Coast Protective Levee, which protects western neighborhoods in Palm Beach and Broward counties from flooding, could be compromised by higher water.
●  An agreement in a federal lawsuit prohibits the district from moving water with high levels of phosphorous south.
●  While projects are underway to raise the Tamiami Trail, which links the east and west coasts, they are limited and parts of the road continue to act as a dam, blocking water from flowing into Everglades National Park.

160715-a
Activists ask Washington for help on Everglades, pollution
News-Press.com – by Ledyard King and Isadora Rangel, Washington Bureau
July 15, 2016
WASHINGTON – Brandishing bottles of algae-tainted water, activists from both Florida coasts demanded Thursday that Congress and the Obama administration speed up efforts to save their beaches and businesses by redirecting Lake Okeechobee overflows south.
They want the federal government to work with Florida to identify and buy land in the Everglades to absorb and treat the runoff.
They want millions of dollars to finish Everglades restoration projects designed to stop runoff that taints the Caloosahatchee River flowing to Southwest Florida and causes devastating algae blooms in the St. Lucie River.
And they want the Obama administration to declare the situation a federal emergency.
“The current situation, ya’ll, is unsustainable,” Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Bonita Springs, told a small rally under a sweltering sun next to the U.S. Capitol. “We need help. We need to pump up the volume. We need to get as many people involved to put pressure on our leaders in Congress and our leaders in the White House to meet us halfway.”
Clawson, who represents Southwest Florida, and Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, who represents Florida’s Treasure Coast, have teamed up on a bill that would make it easier to buy Everglades land designed to improve the estuary and stem the east-west water flows from Lake Okeechobee.
The bill would create a grant program to help states pay for up to 50 percent of the cost of land purchases to improve water quality. It also allocates $750 million per year to fund the program.
The hope is to push Florida to use Amendment 1 dollars to buy land to send lake water south instead of east and west. Florida voters approved the amendment in 2014 to set aside state money to buy and restore land and water resources.
The bill, introduced by two junior lawmakers in a Congress that has struggled to agree on a panoply of issues, including Zika funding, has little chance to pass.
But land purchases get at the heart of the problem, said Jennifer Hecker, director of natural resource policy with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. And that’s largely a state responsibility.
“The feds build the projects but they need to have land to build the projects on,” Hecker said. “So if the state doesn’t move forward to buy the land, the feds can’t build the storage and treatment (facilities).”
Officials who came to Washington sought some temporary relief.
They asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop Lake Okeechobee discharges for seven to 10 days if current dry conditions persist. The corps, which plans to begin reducing discharges over the weekend, said it would look into it but didn’t give the county an answer, Martin County Commissioner John Haddox said.
Murphy is organizing a July 26 rally in Tallahassee to pressure Scott and the Republican-led Legislature to buy land south of the lake. The question is whether Republicans will give weight to an event led by a Democrat – in particular a Democrat trying to take a U.S. Senate seat away from the GOP (Murphy is running for the seat held by Marco Rubio).
Murphy also said he’s asked several agencies to come to the Treasure Coast to look at the algae and his office has talked to companies that could remove algae covering the St. Lucie River and nearby waters.
“We are looking at some outside-the-box thinking,” Murphy said.

160715-b
Critics say new water rules violate public interests
News-Press.com – by Chad Gillis
July 15, 2016
A controversial water bill approved by the state earlier this year has been effective since July 1, but some people in Southwest Florida wonder if the changes in regulations will only make water conditions worse here.
Spearheaded by Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers, and Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Iverness, the water bill puts the ecological onus on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection while leaving the South Florida Water Management District in charge of permits and water quantity.
"Probably the most robust new policy comes in the springs portion," Caldwell said, adding that a process called basin management action plans will ensure polluters don't add more trouble to Florida's waterways. "In those (requirements) will be mandatory best management practices with the hope that we can get ahead of the curve in North Florida so we don’t end up with the environmental problems we’ve got here."
Caldwell said the law was created to better protect Florida's waterways while also giving assurances to large water users, such as agriculture and cattle operations.
Example: Orlando area utilities are struggling to provide enough freshwater to supply the growing population and water demand there.
"Orlando is in three different (water management) districts (and) they’re about tapped out on their freshwater supply, so the utilities need to create more supply," he explained. "The key point is if you’re going to go, as a utility, to get a 20- to 30-year bond that the requirements will remain the same between the districts."
Critics, though, say the new regulations will make it easier for polluters to keep on polluting.
"The big things are, instead of specific time lines for pollutant load cleanups they’ve shifted the emphasis to basin management action plans, which really have no identifiable threshold for compliance," said John Cassani, with the Southwest Florida Watershed Council. "So you just keep kicking the can down the road year after year after year. That seems to be the general strategy."
A report from Florida Specifies, an environmental trade publication, says the regulations are a win for farmers.
"Agribusinesses now have the prospects of water on demand because consumptive use (water withdrawal) permits cannot be denied," the report says, "and Florida will still not require consumption reporting unless the water is withdrawn through an eight-inch pipe, a requirement easily circumvented if users draw from multiple smaller intake pipes."
But Caldwell said the system does, in fact, regulate industries that pollute Florida waterways.
"The only thing (the new law) is doing is developing a standard farm protocol," Caldwell said. "If you do the things we’ve demonstrated through science, that this (a specific amount) is the load you’ll be producing, it's no different than stormwater management in a community."
Caldwell said the law can be updated on a regular basis, allowing for technological advances and other changes to be placed in the regulation as they become available.
The Specifier report concluded: "The legislative requirement for verification of the best management practices and monitoring as a substitute for those BMPs gives special interests with access to legislators the opportunity to influence regulation in a way that rational rulemaking was designed to avoid."
Judy Sanchez, senior director of corporation communication and public affairs for U.S. Sugar, said in a statement:
“The stringent water quality standards that U.S. Sugar’s farmers are required to follow have had a direct impact in helping to restore the Everglades. Since the standards were implemented in 1994, farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area have reduced phosphorus in the water leaving their lands by an average of 56 percent annually. Last year, farmers achieved a historic 79 percent reduction in phosphorus.
"Thanks to this effort, 90 percent of the Everglades today is meeting the federal government’s standard of 10 ppb (parts per billion) of phosphorous – among the toughest water quality standards in the world. The comprehensive water law passed by the Florida Legislature will allow other regions to replicate this successful best management practices program and begin significantly improving water quality north of Lake Okeechobee.”
Cassani said he fears this type of management will eventually result in the privatization of what is now and has historically been a public resource.
"You have to weigh these things against the greater public (good)," Cassani said. "It was a big measure in moving toward privatization of the public’s water."
Caldwell said the new regulations are improvements over pre-existing water laws, some of which date back to the 1960s and '70s.
"I think it was a positive step forward," Caldwell said. "There’s always going to be more to do. I said at the time, I expect there will be issues we’ll come back and talk about next year, but this is a good product."

160715-c
Gov. Rick Scott has failed Florida
Cape Coral Daily Breeze – Letter by Brad Turek, Cape Coral, FL
July 15, 2016
Our incompetent governor, Rick Scott, is responsible for the brown turbid "toilet water" churning from Boca Grande through every Cape Coral canal all the way down to his mansion in Naples. He wants us to think leaking septic systems are responsible for this and the toxic blue green algae blooms from Cape Coral to Stuart to Palm Beach. The fact is, Rick Scott does not care about our state and has failed us as governor.
He's had more than five years, control of the SFWMD, enough money, and Proposition 1 to implement a solution to buy land to clean water to flow south to the Everglades from the blue green algae blooming agriculture and sugar industry polluted Lake Okeechobee. It's the solution almost all scientists agree on except friends of Rick Scott.
The opportunity to solve this crisis has been in his hands several times, however, he's dropped the ball and failed to take the necessary action repeatedly. You would think we elect officials that have the ability to understand or employ people to understand the complex water problems our state has and the comprehensive solutions available which should and could have been implemented to prevent this disaster. But, not our incompetent Governor Scott!!
He is making videos about spending billions on ports while falsely claiming creating 640,000 jobs. Wrong, Mr. Scott! People come here for the weather and the natural tropical beauty. The beauty which Rick Scott has now destroyed!! The National Economic Engine has created jobs for Florida, not him and his corporate handouts and big tax breaks as he wants you to believe.
Rick Scott is an embarrassment and failure to Florida and Floridians. Rick Scott has looked the other way too long as our waterways, beaches, marinas and bays are being destroyed! Something needs to be done to stop his incompetence!

160715-d
SFWMD decides to release Lake Okeechobee water to south
NewsTonight.co.za - by Sonwabile Makoni
July 15, 2016
Presence of blue green algae in Treasure Coast waterways is persistent concern for Floridians. On Thursday, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has taken a decision on where to put much contaminated water of Lake Okeechobee. The decision followed US Army Corps of Engineers’ attempt to reduce release from lake into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.
Gov. Rick Scott has proposed a plan to deal with the problem of algae. Water managers would approve $2.5 million to implement the plan. It will involve storing additional water north of Lake Okeechobee in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. The managers will work with the state and community partners to find out ways to increase flow of water from Lake Okeechobee to south or to put that in private holding areas.
The blooms that started in the St. Lucie River last month are still spreading. They were result of release of farm runoff into east and west of Lake Okeechobee. In addition, septic tank runoff also contributed to the problem. Martin and St. Lucie counties were ground zero for the blooms which some described as ‘thick, smelly guacamole’.
“Although the lake is still high for this time of year, current conditions are providing us with the opportunity to further reduce discharges and bring some degree of relief to the estuaries experiencing above normal seasonal algal blooms”, said Col. Jason Kirk, the corps’ Jacksonville district commander.
The problem of blooms has caused loss to many businesses and individuals. There are almost 50 businesses that have complained about losses brought in by algae blooms. These businesses are part of industries such as fishing, boating, restaurants and retail. Affected Businesses in Martin County accounted for half of these businesses, while 11 businesses were from St. Lucie County and 12 were from Lee County.
According to a story published on the topic by Miami Herald News, "As they struggle to gain control of massive algae outbreak that has fouled the Treasure Coast with a green, chunky toxic slime, South Florida water managers on Thursday unveiled a quick fix that they hope will address another simmering crisis: ailing Florida Bay, where miles of dead seagrass could trigger a different algae bloom."
The measures, which will use existing canals, pumps and other features, could double the flow of freshwater that feeds the sickest part of the bay. But some Keys leaders fear the changes, expected to cost between $1.8 million and $3.3 million, fall far short of the solutions the bay needs to weather future droughts.
“If they could convince anyone that all it takes is $1.8 million to fix Florida Bay then I’ve got some oceanfront property up in Ohio,” Everglades Foundation wetland ecologist Stephen Davis said. “They can increase the flow of water in Taylor Slough, but you can only do that when there’s plenty of water to begin with.”
District staff plan to present the plan to the Monroe County commissioners at their July 20 meeting, when the board will consider a resolution urging the district and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to speed up work to help the bay.
"A toxic algae has been poisoning birds throughout the South. Now it's lurking in Florida's freshwater lakes. This is not the same as the slimy, toxic blue-green algae plaguing Florida's east coast, its stench has been driving tourists away and forcing residents to stay indoors.," according to a news report published by Tampa Bay News.
Florida has more invasive plants and animals than any other state — from pythons to giant African land snails, from melaleuca to Brazilian pepper.
Of all the invasive plants in Florida's waterways, hydrilla costs the most to contain. The state has spent $66 million over the past seven years, just trying to hold it back from spreading, according to a recent University of Florida study.
Hydrilla is native to Africa and Southeast Asia, but then Florida fish collectors discovered it looked nice in their aquariums. In the 1950s, some aquarium plant dealers tossed a few plants into Florida's canals. It spread rapidly and began clogging lakes and rivers.
A report published in CBS Local News said, "Mitigating the impact algae blooms in more than half a dozen counties was discussed Thursday at a meeting of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)."
The blooms started last month in the St. Lucie River continue to spread. They were caused by water contaminated with farm run off which was released east and west of Lake Okeechobee to protect its aging dike system. Gov. Rick Scott says septic tank runoff also contributed to the problem. Martin and St. Lucie counties were ground zero for the blooms which some described as “thick, smelly guacamole.”
At the meeting, the district got some good news concerning the blooms – they’re not as bad as they once were. Aerial photos of Martin County showed there was less algae than what was present last month. In some spots, however, there is not water flow and it’s still a slimey mess.
“Very few of the samples are showing up as toxic, that’s a very good sign. And the ones that are, there’s still a couple of hot spots but the concentration of toxins are lower than they have been,” said SFWMD’s Randy Smith.

160715-e
Water managers decry algae misinformation as corps reduces harmful flow
Palm Beach Post – by Kimberly Miller
July 15, 2016
The consequences of man’s reroute of Florida’s natural plumbing system culminated — again — Thursday at the steps of the South Florida Water Management District following an outbreak of blue-green algae in Treasure Coast waterways.
Dozens of environmental activists and Glades-area residents packed the district’s West Palm Beach board room to plead their cases on where to put the abundance of water bloating Lake Okeechobee.
The discussion came as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it would reduce the damaging freshwater releases from the lake into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.
The 44 percent reduction in water flowing to the St. Lucie still means a release of an average of 420 million gallons per day. The Caloosahatchee, which goes west into the Gulf, will be reduced to 1.8 billion gallons per day from 1.9 billion.
While water managers hope the reduction, as well as other emergency measures will thwart future widespread blooms, they also decried what they said was misinformation peddled by groups with their own agendas.
Is Lake Okeechobee water “toxic” ? Scientists answer algae questions. 
While some forms of the blue-green algae – technically a bacteria – that plague the Treasure Coast in late June can be toxic, the vast majority of this type of cyanobacteria is not. Also, while agriculture south of the lake is blamed for sending polluted water into the lake, that practice stopped years ago except in extreme emergencies.
“The public gets information by organizations that have an agenda,” said board member Melanie Peterson. “Just because there is an agenda being pushed by some organizations, doesn’t mean it’s the truth.”
Emergency measures, such as pausing discharges to allow salinity levels in the estuary to increase with natural tidal fluxes, have reduced the blue-green algae that inundated the St. Lucie Estuary last month, district staff members said.
It’s hoped that the reduction in Lake Okeechobee flows will further disrupt algae growth.
“Although the lake is still high for this time of year, current conditions are providing us with the opportunity to further reduce discharges and bring some degree of relief to the estuaries experiencing above normal seasonal algal blooms,” said Col. Jason Kirk, the corps’ Jacksonville
People wait at the South Florida Water Management District meeting about algae in St. Lucie Estuary
Kirk said drier conditions and continued water releases have brought the lake down to 14.73 feet above sea level from last week’s 14.93 feet.
But Lisa Interlandi, an attorney with the Everglades Law Center, said short-term fixes are not the answer.
“We have a very serious problem and it needs long-term solutions,” Interlandi told board members. “The short term solutions and fixes are like putting a Band-Aid on a heart attack.”
About 100 people attended the water management district’s meeting Thursday, including 30 who signed up to speak during a public comment period before a vote on algae-related agenda items.
“We know we are trying to be God and fix things that happened a long time ago,” said Palm Beach County Commissioner Shelley Vana, who urged board members to consider communities in the Glades when making decisions. “Our tri-cities in the Glades are, for me and most commissioners, sacred and we don’t want them to be harmed.”
The board approved spending $2.6 million on emergency actions, such as storing water on private land and holding more water to the north of the lake. That vote was unanimous with Board Chairman Daniel O’Keefe and Mitch Hutchcraft abstaining.
The board also unanimously approved supporting Gov. Rick Scott’s initiative to help pay for the reduction of septic tanks, which add to the harmful nutrients ending up in the estuaries, and asking the federal government to expedite repairs to the dike so it can hold more water.
Scott declared a state of emergency last month in four counties, including Palm Beach.

160714-a
Corps of Engineers is making progress on South Florida water management issues
Jacksoville.com - Guest Column by Col. Jason Kirk, district commander, Army Corps of Engineers, is the Jacksonville.
July 14, 2016
Water - in South Florida, we either have too much or too little.
For most of 2016, heavy rains fueled by El Nino mean we’ve had too much.
The flood control system operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District has prevented loss of life and major widespread property damage so far this year. However, we remain concerned about how much rain may fall and where that water can go without causing impacts that have the potential to be worse than current conditions in South Florida estuaries.
Unseasonably wet conditions during the dry season tested our South Florida water management system. We worked alongside our state and federal partners, utilizing any flexibility we could find in the system.
Despite those efforts, Lake Okeechobee recorded its highest July 1st stage since 2005. The stage of 14.93 is more than three quarters of a foot higher than this point in 2013, another challenging year for water managers.
The high lake level for this time of year is concerning for a number of reasons.
During a normal wet season, the lake rises 2 to 3 feet. The National Weather Service has issued outlooks that call for above-average precipitation over the next three months, which will likely add more water. We’ve seen many instances over the past 20 years of tropical systems producing enough rain to cause a 3 to 4 foot rise in the lake.
A 5-foot rise in the lake from this point takes us into uncharted territory.
The highest stage recorded for Lake Okeechobee is 18.77 feet. We have seen increased seepage resulting in erosion and movement of foundation material from the dike when the lake reaches 18 feet.
We want to avoid a scenario where the lake rises so high, the resulting water pressure increases the potential for erosion that could cause the dike to breach.
Such a breach could cause widespread property damage and potential loss of life.
The corps stands ready to respond should a breach scenario develop. However, part of our mitigation to prevent a breach includes managing the water level in the lake to keep it from rising too high.
Unfortunately, this requires releasing water in quantities that when combined with an equally large volume of basin runoff, upset the freshwater-saltwater mix in the estuaries.
The change in that mix, coupled with hot weather and excessive nitrogen and phosphorus in the system from a variety of sources, are all among the factors fueling the algae affecting the estuaries.
The corps and the water management district are making progress on ecosystem restoration projects that will make the flood control system in South Florida more environmentally friendly.
This summer, we will start efforts on the Lake Okeechobee Watershed and Western Everglades Restoration projects that will look at features to address some of the flows in and around the lake. I encourage as many people as possible to participate in this process.
We are working to expedite permits for water storage projects in accordance with the governor’s request. We continue to exchange information with state agencies on the algal bloom and other environmental issues.
We all want to see better environmental conditions in South Florida, but we must also manage water in a manner that reduces the risk of life loss or widespread property damage.
Eight million people in South Florida depend on the system to safeguard their lives and property. Flood protection is what Congress expected when they asked the corps to develop flood control solutions, and I believe it’s ultimately what the citizens of our nation expect as well.

160714-b
Daniel Peterson: Keeping on track to solve the Everglades riddle
Florida Politics – by Peter Schorsch
July 14, 2016
Trouble in South Florida in the Indian River Lagoon, and the estuary and coastline fed by the St. Lucie River, have many rightfully up in arms. The United States Army Corp of Engineers recently released billions of gallons of water from Lake Okeechobee to protect the integrity of the Herbert Hoover Dike around the lake. While the dike and the inhabitants to the south are safe from flooding, the lagoon, estuary, and coastline are paying the price by being lined with blue-green algae blooms.
For decades, one of Florida’s top environmental challenges has been the restoration of the Everglades. Recent events such as voter approval of Amendment 1, the Lake Okeechobee water releases and the expansion of algae blooms have brought the issue to a highpoint. Flaming arrows of blame are recklessly fired from many directions and in many directions. Some fault the agriculture industry. Others say it’s all due to septic tanks or lawns being over fertilized. Many others recognize the impact of so much fresh water flowing into brackish and salt water. Environmental activists shouting “Buy the Land” are also using their bullhorn.
There are a lot of factors at play here, but one thing is for sure, anyone who thinks that there’s a one-piece-of-land-fixes-all solution to this has disregarded the facts. That’s a costly bandwagon to jump on both for Floridians and for the environment. It also disregards the hydrology of the system, where the vast majority of flow occurs to the north of the lake.
Florida’s population and the need for development have grown quickly in recent years. The report highlights the major aspects of change the Everglades has experienced over the past 100 years. Preserving what is left is worth our time, attention and resources. People are looking for immediate relief, and that’s understandable. These are trying times for Florida. That’s why it has never been more critical to ensure available funds are used wisely and in a way that will have a long-term and significant impact.
To bring some objectivity and historical reference to this heated debate, The James Madison Institute published a backgrounder titled, “Solving the Everglades Riddle: Addressing Water Quality and Quantity to Restore a Florida Legacy.” Meant to provide policymakers and concerned Floridians with a comprehensive overview of the Everglades restoration process, the report describes the enormity and complexity of the Everglades by looking at its various regions and ecological challenges. Also described are various methods currently being used or considered to control vast amounts of water and improve its quality.
In what should be an encouragement to readers, the JMI report points out four factors contributing to successes in restoring the Everglades including contributions from best management practices and stormwater treatment areas. Measurable, positive results have already been achieved, and new funding sources will help Florida maintain a steady course toward continued Everglades ecosystem improvement.
In the heat of the moment, it is often important to step back and look at the big picture. In light of the enormity of Everglades restoration and the matrix of multiple projects at various stages of completion, it is easy to get lost in the weeds of detail and miss the overall goal. Through this report, JMI gives guidance to policymakers and concerned Floridians to help them cut through the web of complexity, remain on track and help keep the focus where it should be to effectively preserve and protect Florida’s precious resources.
Continued progress will only happen if all stakeholders can find common ground on facts and not get caught up in frenzied rhetoric. As the report states, bringing decision making to the most local of levels is important. Also, using scientific data will help objectify evaluations and planned financial allocations to restoration projects. If scientists, legislators, policymakers, and private sector stakeholders use funds available through Amendment 1 and continue to unite around the plans already in place, it just might be said years from now, “They solved the riddle of Everglades restoration.”
Daniel Peterson is the Director of the Center for Property Rights at The James Madison Institute.

160714-e
Southern Florida tourism affected by algae
TravelWires.com - by Laura Parvan
July 14, 2016
Over the past few weeks large volumes of polluted freshwater released out of Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie Estuary since the beginning of the year have affected popular beaches, such as Bathtub Reef on Hutchison Island and Stuart Beach in Martin County. The beaches have been periodically closed and opened as the algae invasion episodes went on and off.
As the tourism in the area is impacted by the algae bloom, the Martin County Board of Commissioners has asked the federal government to emergency situation or disaster area, to limit the immediate impact of the phenomenon. "History shows that when natural or man-made disasters strike, the tourism industry often experiences significant economic losses," the resolution quotes, as a massive algae bloom has already ruined summer tourism season three years ago.
To address this problem, Discover Martin agency began an advocacy campaign to support the local environment. The website called protectourparadise.com encourages ecosystem-related activities to find ways to prevent the algae invasion and boost local tourism.
Meanwhile, the construction of a new water-retention facility to the south of Lake Okeechobee has been taken into account to avoid flooding and add more freshwater to the estuaries of Everglades National Park. 160.000 acres of land are to be purchased and $648 million are to be invested to solve this problem.
Related:           Algae outbreak again plagues southern Florida beaches, tourism      Travel Weekly

160714-f
The Paranoid Style and the Algae Problem
Sunshine State News - by Brant Schirard wrote this column for the Florida Farm Bureau, he is a St. Lucie County citrus grower
July 14, 2016
Columbia University scholar Richard Hofstader once described a type of polarizing rhetoric that emerges from time to time in the public life of our society. He characterized the phenomenon as the “paranoid style in American politics.”
This mode of expression relies upon heated exaggeration and draws images of conspiratorial fantasy to push the public into accepting extreme interpretations of events or circumstances.
Such a style has unfortunately appeared in recent discourse over massive blooms of algae in south Florida. Anyone who lives near the St. Lucie or Caloosahatchee estuaries or visits the areas these days recognizes that the algae have created an environmental emergency. But the cause of the blooms is another matter.
In the midst of widespread concern, reliable scientific evidence available has been overlooked. That evidence points toward a discomforting conclusion: the water problem in south Florida has been created by a combination of conditions that are difficult to manage, not by a single source or a particular group of people.
Professor Brian Lapointe of Florida Atlantic University has studied nitrogen concentrations in the Indian River Lagoon for several years. His meticulous sampling and measurement of the lagoon have generated definitive results. According to Lapointe, “In the case of the urbanized Indian River Lagoon, our results indicate that wastewater, and OSTDS (on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems) in particular, is the major nitrogen source.”
In other words, septic tank units in the local community contaminate the surrounding environment with excess nitrogen. Lapointe’s studies show that human waste, not water from agricultural properties, constitutes the prime source of nutrients sustaining algae blooms.
Reinforcing his finding is the fact that blooms have also occurred at times when water from Lake Okeechobee did not flow into east Florida’s coast region. In 2014, for example, the Army Corps of Engineers released no lake water, yet the area experienced algae outbreaks.
What makes this problem all the more vexing is that no one can fix it quickly. State officials advise that any form of treatment for the algae is potentially dangerous. They also admit that no large scale treatment exists to clean up the blooms.
So, out of frustration, some people look for scapegoats. They point to farm families in the interior of the peninsula as the responsible parties involved. What this reaction offers is the paranoid style Hofstader lamented.
All reliable evidence indicates that most farmers and ranchers have been excellent water stewards. Agricultural water use per farm is substantially declining, while urban consumption is steadily increasing. State officials who measure water use at farm sites report that outstanding conservation practices on these properties conserve more than 11 billion gallons of freshwater each year.
Agricultural producers are also implementing techniques that improve water quality. The South Florida Water Management District recently reported that farms in the Everglades Agricultural Area slashed phosphorus content in water leaving their acreage by 70 percent in one year.
The very operation of farms and ranches maintains freshwater recharge areas, wildlife habitat and greenspace. Water storage on these lands will likely become critical for ecosystem management as well as urban water supply in the future. As Charles Lee of Audubon Florida has said, “We think the farmers are the potential salvation of these systems simply because their land areas are so large and the capacity they have to hold water on their land is so great.”
Farms are our sources of food and renewal. The overwhelming majority of families that own them are doing their part every day to conserve natural resources. They are the best hope we have for the future sustainability of Florida’s natural abundance.
A comprehensive solution to algae blooms will only be possible by working together. Unfounded accusations will not help us tackle a complex public issue.

160713-a
Everglades Foundation's pointless $10 million phosphorus-be-gone contest
Sunshine State News - by Nancy Smith
July 13, 2016
The Everglades Foundation is turning Florida's algae crisis into a carnival sideshow.
Eric Eikenberg, CEO of the 501(c)(3) non-profit, announced Tuesday the Foundation is a week and a half away from offering a $10 million reward to anyone who can rid fresh water of phosphorus and "help us get rid of the toxic algae."
Why does this smack of a P.T. Barnum fool-all-of-the-people trick ?
"The Foundation is calling on scientists, engineers and anyone who is interested to come up with breakthrough technology," says South Florida's WPTV.
"If the technique can be done in a cost-effective way, both in Florida and in Canada, $10 million is going to be awarded to the winner," the story reads. The Foundation will launch the worldwide contest July 21.
But, wait. Tiny little problem, as I see it.
Eikenberg, says the technology "must remove phosphorus from fresh water," but neither he nor WPTV mentions a word about nitrogen. Not one.
I'm going to take this so-called contest as a flashy show of the Foundation's muscle and a clever way to keep their faithful worshipping bad science and staging those lucrative fundraisers. 
Eikenberg -- the same Eikenberg who was chief of staff for Gov. Charlie Crist, then Crist's Senate campaign manager -- will never have to pay out a dime. The Foundation's money is safe.
A $10 million reward for making toxic algae disappear by removing only phosphorus from fresh water ?  It's like the line from Macbeth -- "... a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
I know you've heard me say this before, but here I am again, chanting the same refrain -- particularly now with the "contest" on the horizon:
The days of limiting pollution to a single source are over.
True, I'm no scientist, but I can read. And increasingly, I'm finding evidence in science journals that toxic algae grows and prospers because of phosphorus and nitrogen in combination -- exactly as Harbor Branch Oceanographic's Brian Lapointe has said for decades, and as I've quoted during the past few years from a variety of sources. The need to control BOTH phosphorus and nitrogen is widely recognized in the 21st century.
Have a look at the 2009 article on phosphorus and nitrogen by Conley et al. -- "Controlling Eutrophication: Nitrogen and Phosphorus." The bottom line: "Alleviation of eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems along the land-ocean continuum requires a balanced and strategic approach to control both nutrients appropriately."
Better yet, read the June 30 article, "How Nitrogen Triggers Algal Blooms in Lakes."  In 2013, the seasonal harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie grew so extreme they poisoned the water system in Toledo, Ohio, leaving nearly half a million residents without drinking water. The blue-green bloom (same organism currently blooming in Lake Okeechobee, Microcystis), which was originally thought to be controlled by phosphorus, was shown to be caused mostly by nitrogen loading from the Maumee River. “This study shows that Microcystis can thrive even when phosphorus is low, and that when it is saturated with nitrogen, it makes more toxins,” writes scientist and author C.J. Gobler.
At the University of Florida, IFAS Extension, Karl Havens and Thomas Frazer wrote a paper, "Rethinking the Role of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in the Eutrophication of Aquatic Ecosystems." They write, "For many years, environmental agencies have sought to improve the water quality of lakes and estuaries by reducing inputs of phosphorus. New research indicates that we must reduce both phosphorus and nitrogen to reverse eutrophication symptoms."
I would like to take the Foundation's contest seriously.
It seems to me much of the world -- not just South Florida -- could benefit from an honest campaign to develop technology that might rid all lakes and rivers of toxic algae.
But I have no faith in the Everglades Foundation's good faith.  And I will be happy to tell you why. 
-- The fact that the Foundation employs "scientists" who discredit nitrogen because much of it comes from urban runoff and fecal coliform rather than fertilizer from some sugar farm makes me distrust their objectivity.
-- The fact that these scientists STILL want to run "fresh" water instead of clean water -- water cleaned of nitrogen -- into Florida Bay makes me distrust them. Scientists have shown over and over again that increased freshwater flows and nitrogen loading to central and western Florida Bay are what caused the massive blue-green algae blooms that developed in the Bay during the 1990s and polished off 40 percent of the coral reef.
-- The fact that the Foundation misled hundreds of thousands of people on either side of Lake Okeechobee makes me distrust them. They conveniently failed to point out how much dirty water makes its way into the lake from the North, and that even though algae is blooming in Lake O, the sources of the nutrients aren't all from the lake.
-- Because of their bad science, I don't even trust the educational materials they put into the school systems in South Florida. Frankly, I wouldn't be able to look at them and keep a straight face. 
-- I don't believe the Everglades Foundation is honest. I think theirs is a darker agenda than the mission they describe on their web page.
-- They make me fear for completion of the Central Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), particularly if they get their way. I believe the reservoir(s) they want to build south of the lake amount to a pointless land grab that will require massive replumbing and further delay to the CERP timetable.
I'm sorry. I hold out absolutely no hope any good will come from their kill-the-phosphorus contest. But the Foundation has a lot of money. And in the end, I expect they will do what they want.

140713-b
Prolonged pumping could send more Lake Okeechobee water south
Sun Sentinel – by Andy Reid
July 13, 2016
Pumping more water into Everglades National Park could reduce South Florida flooding threats, while potentially lessening algae blooms plaguing coastal communities to the north.
The Army Corps of Engineers this week said that it will allow emergency pumping from western Broward and Miami-Dade counties and into Everglades National Park to continue through hurricane season, providing more flood control options in South Florida.
That could also make room to move more Lake Okeechobee water into South Florida, which state officials maintain could reduce damaging lake discharges to the east and west coasts where pollution-laden water has fueled toxic algae blooms.
But rainfall and flooding risks in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties could still limit efforts to move more Lake Okeechobee water south, according to the South Florida Water Management District.
"The details of that are to be determined," district spokesman Randy Smith said. "Everything is on the table."
The decision to extend the emergency pumping deadline, once set to expire on Monday, gives state officials flexibility to deal with high-water levels from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades.
As a result, the state can periodically pump more water out of Everglades sawgrass marshes in western Broward and Miami-Dade and into Everglades National Park.
After a rainy winter, state officials in February warned of a potential wildlife disaster if emergency pumping wasn't allowed to avoid flooding the high ground that deer, wading birds and other animals in western Broward and Miami-Dade need to survive.
That emergency pumping, sought by Gov. Rick Scott, was allowed to continue in May and now could linger into the fall after getting the OK from the Army Corps.
In addition to protecting wildlife habitat in South Florida, state officials have billed the emergency pumping as a way to move more lake water south and reduce the draining to the coasts. The Army Corps says emergency pumping is no guarantee.
State and federal officials are under fire from coastal communities and environmental advocates to stop the deluge of Lake Okeechobee water discharged to the east and west coasts — where it kills fishing grounds in normally salty estuaries and can trigger toxic algae blooms that make waterways unsafe for swimming.
Lake draining that started in January is aimed at preventing flooding in South Florida, where lake waters naturally flowed before farming and development got in the way.
Draining billions of gallons of lake water to the east and west coasts lessens the strain on the 30-foot-tall mound of shell, rock and sand that holds back flood waters.
The lake's erosion-prone dike is considered one of the country's most at risk of failing and is undergoing a decades-long rehab.
Yet the lake draining toward Stuart and Fort Myers causes water-quality woes in coastal communities that rely on their waterways for tourism.
This month the situation worsened on the east coast, with bright green, foul smelling algae spreading across waterways near Stuart and at times closing beaches due to health warnings. And algae sightings have spread as far south as the Boynton Inlet, after initial pumping to also move more lake water out to sea through canals that reach from the lake to West Palm Beach.
Potentially moving additional lake water south, after the recent approval to prolong pumping into the Everglades, should not spread more of the algae problem to South Florida, according to the South Florida Water Management District. That's because the water could get directed through pollution-filtering treatment areas that rim the northern reaches of the Everglades, according to the district.
Other water district steps aimed at lessening Lake Okeechobee draining to the east and west include holding more water in the Upper Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, north of the lake. The district is also storing more water on private land, including Florida Power and Light's property in Martin County.
But the district has been criticized for this summer not draining more Lake Okeechobee south through the vast farming region – dominated by Florida's politically influential sugar industry – located between the lake and the Everglades.
Environmental groups and coastal communities have argued that raising water levels in the canals that crisscross sugar cane country could lessen the need for draining lake water to the east and west.
As a long-term fix, they are also pushing for the state to buy more farmland south of the lake to build a reservoir to hold water now drained out to sea.
"We need the district to step up and move that water south," said Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart.
State officials maintain that sticking with current Everglades restoration plans for building other reservoirs and water treatment areas is the best long-term solution for dealing with Lake Okeechobee drainage problems.
And the governor continues to blame the federal government for being slow to fix the lake's ailing dike.
Scott in a letter Tuesday to Florida's congressional delegation wrote that "our state has been forced to defend our priceless natural treasures and extraordinary coastal communities without the federal government living up to their obligations."

160713-c
Restoration resolution questions water flow rule
Keysnews.com by Brian Bowden, Free Press Staff
July 13, 2016
SOUTH FLORIDA — Monroe County and the village of Islamorada have each drafted resolutions that urge state and federal officials to expedite Everglades restoration efforts that will deliver more fresh water to Florida Bay, which suffered a massive seagrass die-off in 2015. The county proposal will go before its board later this month, while the village resolution was unanimously passed on June 30.
One of the key components in the Islamorada resolution revolves around the South Florida Water Management District’s Minimum Flows and Levels rule as it relates to the bay.
The resolution concludes that the MFLs are not sufficiently protective to prevent significant harm to the bay.
Since 2006, the district has been required to maintain at least a net discharge of 105,000 acre-feet of fresh water into the northeastern part of the bay over a 365-day period. This is to ensure that salinity levels do not rise above that of normal seawater and threaten seagrass. Past die-offs have fueled devastating algae blooms that feed on the nutrients released by decaying seagrass.
Freshwater flow is measured by gauges at the head of five bodies of water in the Everglades. East to west, they include McCormick Creek, Taylor River, Mud Creek, Trout Creek and Halfway Creek.
The district has violated the MFL rule twice over the past 10 years, with the first in 2008-09 and the second in 2014-15. For a violation to occur, according to district Director of Water Resources Terrie Bates, at least one salinity exceedance must happen on back-to-back years.
During the most recent violation, the flow dropped to 78,000 acre-feet in August 2015 — the lowest level since 1996. A massive die-off occurred about the same time, wiping out at least 22,000 acres of seagrass. Some estimates place the damage closer to 50,000 acres.
When a violation occurs, Bates said the district looks at the cause and evaluates how to go forward. Bates pointed out that many water delivery projects have been put in place since the first violation and the second one was due to uncontrollable weather conditions.
“When rainfall is so far below [normal] that’s a huge factor,” Bates said. “It [the second violation] is definitely associated with it.”
However, Everglades Foundation biologist Stephen Davis says the district should increase its minimum flow requirements if one violation can create such havoc.
“It’s not preventative enough,” Davis said. “When it dipped below Florida Bay started to die. You don’t know what [the appropriate] level is until you reach problems.”
Davis suggested that talks with the district about adjusting the MFL need to happen. He also says a greater buffer zone needs to be established with the 105,000 acre-feet of water mark to act as a sort of alarm system.
However, the district isn’t onboard with a change.
“We wouldn’t adjust that [105,000] level,” Bates said. “It is how much flow we need to prevent significant harm.”
The district is also cautious about raising the water level too high as it can cause flooding in the large agricultural area to the east of Everglades National Park. 
Davis believes the main factor for the district’s violations and subsequent die-offs lie not with periods of drought but in the disconnected water supply.
And, according to Davis, it won’t be long before the decaying seagrass spawns a massive algae bloom. Based on previous large-scale die-offs, he believes such a bloom could strike the bay in 2018 or sooner.
“It’s just a matter of time,” Davis said.

160713-d
Think tank urges restoration North of Lake Okeechobee
WFSU.org - by Nick Evans
July 13, 2016
Free-market think tank The James Madison Institute is weighing in on Everglades restoration.  The organization wants policymakers to focus their efforts north of Lake Okeechobee.
In the wake of a massive algae bloom, JMI is urging the state to focus its everglades restoration efforts on water storage north of Lake Okeechobee.  To Dan Peterson, the study’s author, going to the source is just common sense. 
“I liken it to this,” he says, “if you walked into your house and you saw that your sink was about to overflow with water, would you cut another hole in the bottom of your sink, or would you attempt to limit the water by turning it off or limiting the water at the faucet?”
Ramesh Reddy chairs the University of Florida’s Soil and Water Sciences Department, and he agrees water storage facilities north of Lake Okeechobee serve a vital role.
“Because as you store the water it’s not only you controlling the water flow, but at the same time when the water is stored north of the lake it also provides some treatment reducing the nutrient concentrations—especially phosphorus,” Reddy says.
And cutting the phosphorus load is important because it’s fertilizer—promoting the growth of algae. 
But Reddy says water flowing in is only half of the equation.  What do you do with the water rich in nutrients like phosphorus that’s already in the lake?
“That water needs to be treated to meet The Everglades nutrient criteria,” Reddy says, “so that requires water storage and treatment also.”
“So in my opinion both water storage north of the lake and also south of the lake are important.”
JMI analyzes policy with a focus on economics, and Peterson argues projects north of Lake Okeechobee offer the greatest return on investment—the best bang for your buck.  But Steve Davis an ecologist with The Everglades Foundation disputes that conclusion. 
“If we are looking for storage solutions that benefit the situation in the St. Lucie River, the Caloosahatchee River, as well as the massive areas of dead seagrass in Florida Bay—we know that water needs to go south,” Davis says.  “If we want to be able to provide benefits in all those areas we know that storage south of Lake Okeechobee is the most beneficial.”
In addition to lobbying for water storage above the lake, JMI’s report argues there should be greater progress reporting for everglades projects and further studies should be done on the impact of fresh water releases.

160713-e
Will this toxic algae bloom eat Florida ?
TheDailyBeast.com – by Samantha Allen
July 13, 2016
A thick, toxic guacamole-like algae is choking Florida’s beaches—and experts say we’ll only see more of it in the years to come.
When you think about the risks that climate change poses to Florida, you probably picture a rising sea swallowing Miami Beach and hurricanes battering the coast.
You might not imagine “guacamole-thick” toxic algae strangling the state’s waterways and polluting its beaches. But that’s exactly what several Florida counties have been experiencing since late June, after the Army Corps of Engineers spent months siphoning off nutrient-rich water from Lake Okeechobee to preserve a leaky, problem-prone dike.
Meanwhile, experts warn that we’ll only see more of these dangerous blue-green algae blooms as global temperatures rise—in Florida and nationwide.
“These types of blooms are going to be more prevalent as the climate warms,” said Rob Moore, senior policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) water program. “That’s yet another motivating factor for the U.S. and for governments around the world to take rapid action to decrease emissions that are causing climate change.”
The thick muck that is currently strangling Florida’s Treasure Coast, closing beaches and clearing out hotel reservations during the busy summer season, is the result of a perfect storm of exacerbating factors.
Cyanobacteria blooms tend to form in warm water that has been polluted with nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, found in fertilizers. That pollution is facilitated by rainfall and the resulting runoff.  It’s no surprise, then, that a blue-green algae bloom would occur in South Florida after heavy rains caused Lake Okeechobee to rise nine inches right before the hottest June on record in the contiguous U.S., according to statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In fact, South Florida witnessed above average temperatures for “almost the entire month,” according to a report from the National Weather Service and the NOAA, with “a strong southwest wind” keeping the cooler Atlantic breeze at bay mid-month.
“When you have elevated temperatures in the summer, and when you have a lot of rain—which Florida has been getting this summer—you’ve got the perfect conditions for cyanobacteria,” said Moore. “And those conditions are going to exist far more frequently as the climate warms.”
There is no data tracking the nationwide frequency of blue-green algae blooms but Moore says that several bodies of water are “experiencing these types of problems much more frequently than they did in the past.”
Lake Erie, for example, has been dealing with harmful cyanobacteria blooms for years, sometimes interrupting drinking water access for thousands of people. The NOAA is predicting more toxic blooms to come for Lake Erie in 2016. And as recently as this Tuesday, two beaches in Vermont had to close because of the toxic algae, which sickens swimmers on contact.
These incidents and many others have led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to warn that climate change “might cause harmful algal blooms to occur more often, in more water bodies and to be more intense.”
As the EPA notes, climate change doesn’t just facilitate the spread of blue-green algae blooms by warming the waters in which they reproduce; warming temperatures also give rise to the conditions in which they initially form.
Sea level rise, for example, will create more shallow coastal water, providing an ideal environment for cyanobacteria to flourish. Higher levels of carbon dioxide in the air will feed the algal blooms. And changes in rainfall patterns caused by climate change could bring even more nutrients into the waterways.
“Climate change tends to skew our rainfall toward larger, less frequent events,” Moore told The Daily Beast. “And those are the types of events that really flush a lot of phosphorus and nitrogen off of the land and into the water.”
In recent years, more of our rain has indeed come in larger and more concentrated doses. According to NOAA data, extreme one-day precipitation events have been on the rise, with eight of the top 10 years for these events occurring since 1990—a trend that many scientists have connected to rising temperatures.
Between the rising temperatures and the heavy rains, Moore warns, “it will take less nutrients to produce the same types of blooms in the future.”The nutrients causing the current blue-green algae bloom in Florida are the result of “decades of pollution,” as the Sun Sentinel reported last week, from surrounding cattle ranches, farms, citrus groves, and suburban neighborhoods. And while the Army Corps of Engineers tries to keep the current South Florida bloom in check, there’s no guarantee that it won’t return.
Some consequences of climate change, like sea level rise, have been extensively modeled—but not the conditions for blue-green algae blooms.
“It’s a very difficult problem to forecast,” said Moore. “There are several different species of blue-green algae and each one of them grows preferentially based on the available nutrients and the available temperature and sunlight.”
“You might get one species of cyanobacteria dominating one year, you might get another species dominating another year,” he continued. “And you might get totally different species causing a bloom in different parts of the country.”
Short of reducing water pollution or mitigating the effects of climate change, the toxic guacamole-like sludge will keep coming back. It is one of the least predictable effects of rising global temperatures and, perhaps, the most disgusting.

160712-a
Expert: Local waters 'ripe' for algae blooms
TCPalm.com – by Chad Gillis, USA Today Network, News-Press
July 12, 2016
Mickey Ferry knows the issues: there are too many people sending too much freshwater to the oceans.
Green algae? He's seen it. Brown water ?  Try black.
"We all admit that there's problems there and it started a very long time ago," said Ferry, general manager of the Boat House Tiki Bar and Grill in Cape Coral. "Ultimately it's going to trickle down to people canceling their rentals and there are less rentals and that does affect all of the entertainment and tourism businesses, any aspect of them. From restaurants to boat rentals and grocery stores, the impact is tremendous and it comes down to the fact that no one has done anything."
Ferry says he's seen algae blooms come and go over the past 20 years or so while working at various Fort Myers Beach restaurants. And every time the algae-tainted waters flow, Southwest Florida businesses feel it.
Monday the algae was knocking on his door again, mostly piling up on the east side of the pier at the Cape Coral Yacht Club. Algae has been reported in the Caloosahatchee River for more than a month, and a large bloom in the Stuart area on the east coast has crippled coastal operations there. Some water experts fear water conditions will deteriorate further in Lee County waters.
After getting consumer questions following negative publicity about algae, Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau last week put links to beach water-monitoring programs and to live beachcams on its fortmyers-sanibel.com website. The bureau also has been posting same-day or nearly same-day videos of beaches on social media.
"It's come up again and when they stop the releases and the rainy season ends and the blue water pushes back in, it will go away," Ferry said. "But the essential problem is they've affected how the Everglades filters the water flow. And (we) just keep compounding it by (releasing) more water from the lake (Lake Okeechobee) and (adding) more population and more fertilizing and golf courses and lawns."
Clumps of cyanobacteria, often called blue-green algae, have been documented in recent weeks, and water quality samples show there is too much freshwater in the Caloosahatchee's estuary.
Sea grasses are dying. So are oysters and other shellfish.
"We have a lot of animals that aren’t tolerant of freshwater, so we have big ecosystem effects and we don’t have time to even quantify how bad it is from getting all of the freshwater," said Rick Bartleson, a water quality scientist at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.
Bartleson collects water samples regularly and turns his findings over to the state and local governments.
Freshwater, Barlteson said, is pushing into the Gulf of Mexico, where a saltwater bacteria is absorbing the excess nutrients flowing down the river.
Upriver, at the Franklin Lock and Dam, algae was piling up at a control structure used to release water from the lake and lands west of Okeechobee.
"It seems kind of algae-ee," said Teresa Schimmel, a Cape Coral resident who was camping at the lock with family and friends. "I've been here when the (swimming) beach was full. I believe (it's empty) because of the algae. I went kayaking and it was all over the kayak."
Algal blooms are not new to Southwest Florida. Some forms of algae (like Karenia brevis, which causes red tide) have been documented here for more than 100 years.
The problems start when excess nutrients and freshwater enter the equation. The Everglades and South Florida evolved as a low-nutrient system.
Nutrients used in household fertilizers and from farm fields can cause one organism to explode in numbers, which is what is often referred to as a bloom.
Stephen Davis, who holds a doctorate in wetland sciences and works for the Everglades Foundation, toured the east coast last week and visited Fort Myers on Monday.
"It's likely we could see something," Davis said. "Maybe not to the extend of the east coast, but the conditions are ripe for a bloom here."
The Everglades Foundation and other environmental groups want the state to buy sugar lands south of the lake and turn those lands into a water reservoir.
Storing the water south of the lake, instead of blasting it out the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers, would reduce the amount of harmful freshwater now flowing to the coast.
Some legislators, however, and farm businesses, say that buying sugar lands and increasing water flows to the south of Lake Okeechobee aren't the answer.
Local clean water advocate John Heim, of Fort Myers Beach, flew to Washington, D.C. on Monday to speak with a panel headed by Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Bonita Springs.
"The powers that be are still taking the age-old complacency approach and sweeping it under the rug as if it isn't an ecological disaster, even though we are under a state of emergency," Heim wrote to The News-Press.
Related:           Could East Coast algae bloom come to Lee County?            NBC2 News

160712-b
Florida algal blooms put focus on phosphorus depletion and ultrasonic wave tech
IPwatchdog.com - by Steve Brachmann
July 12, 2016
In early July, parts of Florida were dealing with massive algal blooms, which closed many beaches in southern regions through the Fourth of July and continue to pose a threat to aquatic life in the area. For residents, algal blooms do pose some health concerns, not to mention the putrid smells caused by the dying algae contained in these blooms. On June 29th, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in the counties of Martin and St. Lucie because of algal blooms. The next day, Lee and Palm Beach counties were also added to the state of emergency order. The blooms were caused by water discharges from Lake Okeechobee released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to relieve flooding risks from that lake which, according to reports, has taken in enough water this year to cover the state of Delaware.
Algal blooms are caused when algae living in seas or freshwater grow uncontrollably because of the presence of nutrients like phosphorus or nitrogen; high temperatures and the underwater penetration of light also play roles in the process. Various species of phytoplankton can cause blooms, although a typical bloom doesn’t contain many species, and at their highest concentrations they can reach hundreds of thousands of cells per milliliter of water. Fish and other marine life, including plants, can die from lack of oxygen and nutrients. Algae can also release toxins into the air, causing respiratory ailments. A study published in 2009 by Environmental Health Perspectives pegged the costs of treating respiratory problems caused by blooms up to $4 million.
Public health costs, however, are dwarfed by the price tag which algal blooms can put on industries requiring clean water, such as seafood, tourism and restaurants. Every year, harmful algal blooms (HABs), the toxic variety currently seen in Florida, cost about $82 million in lost economic output according to statistics published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Last year, algal blooms on the West Coast caused beaches in Washington State to close, preventing razor clamming at an estimated economic cost of $9 million over one month.
One technique currently being explored to combat the spread of algal blooms is removing the nutrients which allow those blooms to thrive. Algae control programs often focus on nutrient reduction but those long-term management plans only show results after many years. One water treatment offering a short-term solution is known as Phoslock, a chemical composition including lanthanum which can bind to free reactive phosphorus in bodies of water and then drag it to the bottom. This algal bloom treatment was developed at the Australian science agency Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Phoslock Water Solutions, the company that now markets the phosphorus removal technology, does have U.S. intellectual property protecting the treatment. U.S. Patent No. 6350383, titled Remediation Material and Remediation Process for Sediments, was issued in February 2002. It protects a method for remediating matter selected from sediments and effluents by removing phosphorus and oxyanion pollutants with the use of an aluminosilicate clay.
PATENTED
Phosphorus removal is also a focus at the Florida-based Green Technologies, a firm involved in researching and developing systems for recycling nutrients from wastewater. Last September, the company was chosen as a recipient of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant made available through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The technology, developed at the University of Florida and optioned by Green Technologies, can treat stormwater or runoff on the order of tens of thousands of gallons per day for phosphorus removal. The $100,000 in Phase I funding will help Green Technologies commercialize its phosphorus removal and recycling innovation.
Although it’s unclear whether this is the patent optioned by Green Technologies, we did find a University of Florida patent related to phosphorus filtration systems. U.S. Patent No. 8002984, entitled Green Sorption Material Mixes for Water Treatment, issued in August 2011 and claims a sorption media comprised of recycled material such as tire crumb or wood sawdust as well as a naturally occurring media like sand, limestone or peat. The stormwater and wastewater treatment can control nitrogen and alkalinity levels along with phosphorus.
Water picks up many of the chemical nutrients that fuel algal blooms when it travels through soil as groundwater. A septic system biofilter developed by researchers at the Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University could reduce nitrogen released into the ground by up to 95 percent. The nitrogen removing biofilter is composed of a mixture of sand and wood pulp and septic waste and achieved nitrogen removal rates of 85 percent to 95 percent in early tests. Installation costs on a residential property were reported to be $10,000.
Algal blooms can soak up great amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water, causing the destruction of much marine life in its wake. BlueInGreen of Fayetteville, AR, is a developer of gas delivery systems for water management and maintaining water quality. In late June, the company completed its 25th installation of systems capable of delivering up to 7,800 pounds of dissolved oxygen per day, or treating up to 5 million gallons of water per day. The company was also preparing for its first international installation of a gas delivery system in Alberta, Canada, by the end of this summer.
BlueInGreen holds one U.S. patent which it received this April, U.S. Patent No. 9315402, which is titled Systems and Methods for Wastewater Treatment. It protects a system for treating wastewater including a bioreactor receiving untreated wastewater, a membrane module, a gas source and a dissolution tank for dissolving oxygen into the untreated wastewater. This technology overcomes limitations in conventional membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems in which oxygen dissolution becomes impractical when the concentration of solids in wastewater is greater than three percent.
Over in Europe, the European Union-sponsored DRONIC Project seeks to develop autonomous vehicular systems for the removal of algal blooms. The robotics project, scheduled to last 30 months, will encompass the creation of two unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), one that will assess water quality and map algal blooms and another which will treat algal blooms using ultrasound waves. Ultrasonic technologies have been employed in the past to control either blue-green or green algae as ultrasound waves can destroy algae on a cellular level without affecting other marine life, including people. LG Sound, a Netherlands-based company involved in the DRONIC Project has created ultrasonic water treatment systems in the past which could treat water within a diameter of 500 meters (1,640 feet).
Reports from last November from multiple media outlets discussed a similar algae removal concept designed by a Swedish student which relies on the use of drones. The concept is designed specifically to treat algal blooms forming in the Baltic Sea and also relies on drones serving in two different roles. One drone would vacuum up algae and then transfer it to a second drone which dries the algae and turns it into drone fuel to dispose of the collected algae. In a follow-up piece, we’ll also look at how algae from algal blooms can be repurposed as biofuels and other kinds of consumer products.

160712-d
Ten million dollars to solve algae crisis
WPTV.com – by Christina Noce
July 12, 2016
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. - Ten million dollars could find the answer to the algae crisis.
The Everglades Foundation's CEO Eric Eikenberg toured some of the hardest hit areas in Martin County. Eikenberg hopes he has an incentive that will help us get rid of the toxic algae and it starts a week and a half from now.
The foundation will launch a worldwide contest on July 21.
A 10 million dollar prize goes to the winner.
The foundation is calling on scientists, engineers and anyone who is interested to come up with breakthrough technology.
The technology must remove phosphorus from fresh water.
If the technique can be done in a cost effective way both in Florida and in Canada, ten million dollars is going to be awarded to the winner.
The Everglades Foundation hopes the contest will lead to real answers to end the algae problem.

160712-d
Time for Congress to live up to basic responsibilities
News-Press.com – by Dan Bongino, a Republican candidate for Congress in Florida’s 19th district which includes most of Lee County and coastal Collier County
July 12, 2016
Everywhere you turn in this election cycle, it is establishment vs. non-establishment, Washington D.C. insider vs. outsider, but what do these terms mean to voters in Southwest Florida?  If you think we are headed in the wrong direction like most Americans do, it means everything.  As a U.S. Secret Service agent for 12 years, I have seen how entrenched the political establishment is and yet how easy it would be to sweep D.C. clean with grassroots action.
Don’t accept weak Republican politicians in this election.  The Secret Service has a clear mission to protect the President, and it is with that same “no excuses” attitude that I will fight for Lee County. By August 30, Republican voters will select who they want in the U.S. House of Representatives. Next January, our new Congressman will be immersed head-first in bureaucratic inertia, political calculation and endless talk when it comes to addressing urgent national priorities including ending illegal immigration, fixing the tax code, reducing spending, ending Obamacare and fighting terrorism and crime. Government incompetence is harming Southwest Florida too.
Let’s take the number one issue affecting the quality of life in Lee County. Today, Lake Okeechobee is a giant toilet bowl flushing dirty water into our ecosystem. Ten years ago, the Caloosahatchee was listed as one of the top 10 endangered rivers in America.  Thirty years ago, a massive algal bloom strangled Lake Okeechobee, focusing national attention on water quality.  Decades later we are still waiting for results.
The real cesspool, however, is Congress.  Everglades restoration, which is linked to Lake Okeechobee, is the largest environmental program in history, according to the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers.  If so, then why is it accepted from the federal government that our region’s environmental restoration will take more than 50 years to complete?  It took three years to build a nuclear bomb that ended World War II. Congress must demand speed and results from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Interior, the two lead agencies in charge. The power of oversight to accomplish this task is in the Constitution.
Many have criticized the slow pace of our region’s environmental restoration.  A non-partisan report cites the reason as delayed Congressional authorization and appropriations.  Again, these are basic responsibilities of the legislative branch under the Constitution. Put another way, Congress takes its eye off the ball and forgets the commitments made in legislation 16 years ago.  Yes, some progress has been made. But nobody is satisfied with emergency declarations of fouled waters every time it rains. In the meantime, our tourism-driven economy and environment is in jeopardy.  Thank you, Congress for your “help” on the largest environmental program in history.
What does Congress have to say?  Following a difficult week for our country in the wake of the Dallas police shootings, according to Fox News’ Capitol Hill correspondent Chad Pergram, Rep. Glenn “G.T” Thompson (R-PA) recognized the Bellefonte, Pennsylvania High School Red Raiders baseball team for defeating Susquehanna Township for the state title. Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN) congratulated the Eden Prairie, Minnesota women’s field hockey team for capturing the state championship. I am not sure who spoke next, but you get the picture.
One of my opponents says “he will not rest” until our water problems are fixed.  If that sounds familiar, that’s because it is.  President Obama has used that worn-out phrase dozens of times, saying “he will not rest” until the economy grows or until we defeat ISIS. There is constant talk from D.C. insiders and establishment types, but never results.  Let’s try action now.

160712-e
Tourism officials address algae fears in southwest Florida
Associated Press
July 12, 2016
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Officials are responding to fears in southwest Florida about a massive algae bloom fouling waters on the state's Atlantic coast.
The News-Press reports (http://newspr.es/29FD9WP ) that the Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau updated its website with water-monitoring information and live video of beaches overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.
The newspaper says tourism officials also frequently post videos from Fort Myers and Sanibel beaches on social media.
Local residents worry about algae reports from the Caloosahatchee River. Water quality researchers working for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and the Everglades Foundation tell the News-Press that samples show too much freshwater in the river's estuary and conditions are ripe for a bloom.
Nutrients in fertilizers feed algae growth. The problem is exacerbated by freshwater directed to the coasts east and west of Lake Okeechobee.
Related:           Expert: Local waters 'ripe' for algae bloomsThe News-Press
Could East Coast algae bloom come to Lee County?            NBC2 News
Gov. Rick Scott adds Lee to emergency declaration after massive ...           Naples Daily News

160712-f
USF student interns in Florida Everglades
USForacle.com - by Abby Rinaldi
July 12, 2016
Lake Okeechobee has captivated the attention of Pahokee, FL native USF graduate student Krista Gutierrez since her childhood.
So, when she was accepted into the 2016 Arthur R. Marshall Foundation for the Everglades summer intern program in May, she was excited to return to the lake of her youth.
Only three interns are selected for the program each year after international and nation applications are reviewed. Given the size of the application pool, Gutierrez was shocked to be selected. 
The program offers interns an in-depth look at the Florida Everglades and the restoration projects surrounding the area through field research and lectures from mentors.
Gutierrez found out about it through the USF Geology Club Facebook page and on May 23, she started at the internship. 
The ten-week crash course, as Gutierrez described it, has had her out in the Everglades getting a hands-on, immersive feel. During the program, she has studied ecology of plants and wildlife in the habitat as well as hydrology and the importance of the restoration plan in place for the Everglades.
“It’s not like … I’m getting lectures on top of lectures,” she said. “I get to meet people in the field, people that are doing these jobs that have a part in restoring the Everglades and on top of that I get to be out there in the Everglades. 
These have included professors, professionals, and members of many different organizations associated with the Everglades.
“I think the most rewarding part (of the internship) is getting to meet people with many different opinions (who still) have the same one thing in mind and it is restoring the Everglades,” she said. “… It’s pretty neat to see how everyone agrees on this one thing because that’s just how important it is.”
Gutierrez is a first generation Mexican-American, born to Mexican parents. She said her parents worked hard to provide her the opportunity to pursue her dreams.
“Both never got the chance to graduate high school due to having to work in agriculture,” she said.
Gutierrez majored in geology for her undergraduate and is currently pursuing her master’s in global sustainability with a concentration in water.
She will be wrapping up her internship July 28, and afterwards a paper will be released that will detail what Gutierrez said is the unbiased truth about the Everglades.
Gutierrez said she was surprised to learn how many people are involved in the restoration plan for the Everglades. 
“I think a lot of people, when they think about the Everglades restoration, they only think about one group that are going for, which are environmentalists” she said. “But really, you have so many organizations that have a part in it. It’s not just one organization that is doing it. There are so many different key people and key organizations that have their hands on it.”
She also learned how much politics effect what people are able to do for the environment and encouraged serious consideration about whom they vote for when it comes to picking the governor. 
“With the Everglades restoration plan, even though it … has already been signed — that was back in the early 2000s,” she said. “So right now in 2016 the plan isn’t even halfway completed and a lot of it has to do with our government. 
“A lot of people don’t understand that whoever you elect as your governor is going to be the one that helps us do the plan and help us get it out there (and) that it’s important not only to the ecosystem but to the people.”
The Everglades, she stressed, don’t only effect Florida. In fact, their importance stretches across the globe. The area is World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a National Park. 
According to the Everglades Foundation, 8 million Floridians depend on the Everglades for water. Damage done to the Everglades through 50 years of draining, canal digging and levees, which changed the ecosystem and the water quality in the area.
“The whole important part of (the Everglades restoration) is that we’re all affected by it,” Gutierrez said.

160711-a
Activists’ fixation on land buy ignores reality during algae crisis
Florida Politics – by J.P. Sasser, former Mayor of the City of Pahokee
July 11, 2016
We can all agree the toxic algae blooms plaguing the Treasure Coast are a tragedy that needs to be fixed. No one living in any community should have to experience the type of algae we have seen in recent weeks. But the relentless clamoring of environmental activists, who say the solution lies in taking land more than 50 miles to the south, is guided by a self-serving environmental concern that puts the interests of the people in coastal communities over those living in the rural areas between the interstates.
Case in point: Do we really want to heed the activists’ call and send this algae-laden water south to America’s treasure, Everglades National Park? Such a move would reverse decades of progress, where today 90 percent of the water is meeting stringent federal standards – a success story the activists never want to talk about.
Buying or taking productive farmland south of the lake to alleviate algae blooms and stop the discharges from Lake Okeechobee simply isn’t backed up by real science – and yet the activists pushing it never have to answer for this.
It would cost tens of billions of dollars, diverting precious financial resources away from a slate of projects that are making or will make a real difference. It also wouldn’t have prevented the algae crisis.
The blue-green algae that has plagued the Indian River Lagoon and beaches on the Treasure Coast is the result of several complex factors that scientists have thoroughly documented over the years: thousands of aging septic tanks on and around the lagoon that dump human waste into the water, local urban runoff and the effects of the lake discharges that have sent billions of gallons of nutrient-laden water, flowing from north of the lake, to the lagoon.
We should be focusing on real solutions instead of the bumper-sticker slogans repeated by activists that aren’t backed up by science. We should accelerate current state and federal projects that allow for more storage and treatment of water north, east and west of the lake. We should move as quickly as possible to get septic tank owners hooked up to municipal sewer systems, so that people can literally stop flushing their toilets into the lagoon. This is a regional problem, but residents on the Treasure Coast must acknowledge that they bear some responsibility for the algae crisis too.
The scientific data from the South Florida Water Management District is crystal clear: more than 95 percent of the water and nutrients that are flowing into Lake Okeechobee, and then being released in the discharges, come from the north, east and west – not the south.
If the goal is truly to clean water, restore the Everglades, and greatly reduce or stop the discharges when more cost effective solutions are available in a timelier manner, why do those pushing the land grab refuse to have an intelligent conversation about it?  For some reason, it seems the focus is more about buying the land south of the lake than actually correcting the problems.
When the algae blooms began, why were environmental activists so quick to blame farmers and rural communities nowhere near the source of water or pollution into the lake? Why is it that farmers and hard-working families living south of the lake are the ones pressured to give up the land that fuels their economy and jobs? Why are they called upon to be 100 percent of the solution?  Also, why are these activists cherry-picking the algae blooms in South Florida and ignoring them in other parts of the state, including North Florida?  The answer is because there are no sugarcane farmers to blame in Panama City.
The truth is, some key environmental activists hate the existence of agriculture south of the lake and are hell-bent on putting farmers out of business. These activists couldn’t care less about the role that agriculture plays in creating good jobs, sparking economic prosperity in rural towns, and feeding Florida families and the country.
While Treasure Coast residents understandably want action to prevent future toxic algae blooms, this crisis is once again being co-opted as a rallying cry to buy land south of the lake by a small group of rich, coastal elites who do not care about the science or the well-being of the people living south of Lake Okeechobee. We should be all in this together, rather than trying to pit one region against another.

160711-b
Enjoy your vacation on Playa Guacamole
TCPalm.com - by Carl Hiaasen
Yesterday 10:53 a.m. 4
They say a picture tells a thousand words.
If it's a picture of an algae-covered beach, it can also cancel thousands of hotel reservations.
That's the new dread in Florida, as photos and news videos of gunk-covered shorelines are making headlines all over the world. Why would anyone bring their families to vacation on Playa Guacamole?
And do they even make hazmat suits in children's sizes?
The likely cause of the algae outbreak that has slimed beaches on both Florida coastlines is fouled fresh water from Lake Okeechobee, which the Army Corps of Engineers began discharging after heavy rains in January. Nitrogen and phosphates from massive agricultural dumping into the lake fuel algal blooms, which worsen in the summer heat.
This latest outbreak is spectacularly ugly, toxic to health and devastating to local marine and tourist-based businesses. Hardest hit is Martin County, on the Treasure Coast, where scummy Lake O water has poured into the saltwater estuary from the St. Lucie River.
Gov. Rick Scott has reacted with unwavering impotence, declaring one state of emergency after another while blaming the federal government for failing to upgrade the dike surrounding the lake so that more dirty water can be retained.
Cleaning up that dirty water is not a priority for this Republican governor or this Republican-led Legislature. In exchange for a deluge of campaign donations, they have worked steadfastly to gut pollution regulations and put the biggest polluters in control of state water policy.
This year their shameless sellout was complete. One of the worst water management bills in Florida history was passed and quickly signed by Scott, basically allowing big agricultural operations to police their own chemical discharges with little or no enforcement by the state.
Meanwhile, most of the millions of dollars earmarked by voters for the purchase of conservation lands continues to be diverted by lawmakers for other expenses. The constitutional amendment overwhelmingly approved almost two years ago by Floridians is now toilet paper in the governor's mansion.
The whole world is now seeing the result of Scott's execrable stewardship of our priceless natural resources. It's an ecological nightmare for the state, and a political nightmare for him.
He'll be running for the Senate in two years and desperately wants not to be tagged as Governor Algae. But because he won't get tough with the special interests that are funding his campaign, there will be no reinstatement of water-quality enforcement measures for those flushing agricultural and urban wastewater into Lake Okeechobee.
Instead, Scott is refocusing on underground septic tanks, promising matching funds to help communities switch to sewage-treatment systems. This is a sensible and long-overdue plan, but it's mainly designed to divert attention from Big Ag and other polluters.
Scott seems to be synchronizing his strategy with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which in March announced a "partnership" with Florida Atlantic University to work on "strong, science-based water quality standards." Specifically the Chamber mentioned its interest in the impact of septic tanks on toxic algae blooms.
Ordinarily it would be startling to see an environmental conscience exhibited by the Chamber, one of the most slavishly pro-industry, anti-regulatory groups in the state. However, the rising outcry about the algae outbreaks — and the economic wreckage being caused — compelled the Chamber to try something to redirect the public's anger.
Septic tanks in residential neighborhoods are a serious source of nutrient pollution in Florida, but they're not the main culprit of the current front-page water catastrophe. It's no mere coincidence that huge algae blooms have erupted in the same area where the Lake Okeechobee discharges have been directed.
The smelly blue-green tide that's smearing the beaches and clotting the waterways is coming straight from the lake. You can see it on NASA satellite photographs.
For decades Lake O was the cheap sewer-of-choice for nearby cattle ranches, citrus groves and sugar cane growers, nutrients accumulating at harmful levels in the muck. As some farm operations have worked to improve the quality of their wastewater, the lake in recent years has received a growing torrent of urban effluent from Central Florida, via the Kissimmee River.
Consequently, the water is still grossly unsafe to release — yet more than 150 billion gallons has been pumped just to the Treasure Coast this year.
Scott wasn't around back when the fateful defiling of Lake O began, but since taking office he's done nothing but weaken clean-water rules, skeletonize the Department of Environmental Regulation and forbid state officials from using the term "climate change."
Now, thanks to this epic algae epidemic, he'll be known as the greenest non-green governor in America.

160710-
Algae and Politics, Florida Style
Naples daily News - by Dave Trecker
July 10, 2016
The latest outrage in the Lake Okeechobee mess is not the algae bloom — which is widespread, toxic and damaging to health and tourism alike. No, that was predictable.
The latest outrage is Governor Rick Scott’s assignment of blame. In a remarkable political tanda, he blamed septic tank runoff. That’s right! Septic tank runoff that just happens to be in the sugarcane fields of Clewiston.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Scott’s allegations would be laughable if this were a laughing matter. But it’s not. It’s a massive problem that is being politicized, and everyone in South Florida stands to lose.
Let’s consider three things, all factual.
1. The pollution problem in Lake Okeechobee is not caused primarily by septic tank runoff. It is caused by the agriculture industry. It is due almost entirely to high nutrient levels — dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus — in fertilizer runoff, fertilizer needed to make sugarcane and other crops grow in the nutrient-poor soil of South Florida. The nutrients feed the algae and, voila, you have coagulated blooms that spread and clog and poison. And they don’t go away. They sink into the sediment of waterways and then reappear.
2. Buying land around Lake O — enough of it to make a difference — is not going to happen. That’s tilting at windmills. The environmentalists want to buy some U.S. Sugar land south of the lake, create reservoirs to hold water outflows, clean up the water and send it into the Everglades — nice and tidy, a three-point play.
All it takes is money. If only the feds would ante up or Tallahassee would release funds from Florida Forever, then our problems would go away. But it’s not that simple. The pollution isn’t coming just from land south of the lake or even from the east or west as well. Nutrient pollution is also rampant to the north. To make an impact, a massive land purchase would be needed, costing billions of taxpayer dollars.
And not all of that land is up for sale. An option for 47,000 acres south of the lake expired in October 2015. Another option would require an all-or-nothing purchase of 184,000 acres south and east of the lake at market prices — a staggering expense.
3. The only realistic hope is to tighten and enforce water-quality standards. That doesn’t take billions of dollars. What it does take is action by the state Department of Environmental Protection and some political will. Requirements to maintain low nutrient levels in all state waterways, if enforced in Clewiston and the surrounding area might, just might, cut pollution in Lake O and reduce algae buildup in South Florida.
Is it likely to happen ?  No. Big sugar has a lot of political clout. And the balance of power in Tallahassee is not going to change anytime soon.
What is likely to happen is more cries for federal aid, more calls for land purchase and more finger-pointing — none of which will lead anywhere.

160709-a
EAA storage will help solve water crisis
News-Press.com – by Rob Moher, president and CEO of Conservancy of Southwest Florida
July 9, 2016
Recently, a state of emergency was declared for Lee, Martin and St. Lucie counties from the filthy water and toxic algae spilling from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and estuaries. The irony is that the state knowingly has made decision after disastrous policy decision that have contributed to this crisis.
While denial, excuses and pointing fingers at the feds abound, there is little from Gov. Rick Scott as to how the state – not the feds – is the primary entity responsible for pollution and water quality, as well as for buying land for water storage and treatment projects. There has been no mention of how he has led the state Department of Environmental Protection to continuously downgrade water quality standards and protections including for nutrient pollution, or has forced the South Florida Water Management District to do a 180 from their previous initiative to buy land in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) for the redirection and filtration of these polluted waters to its current staunch opposition of doing so.
Even last week, the conservancy, as well as other water advocates and concerned citizens from around the state, convened in West Palm to urge the top brass from all the state and federal agencies to move forward in planning for the added storage, treatment and conveyance needed in the EAA to help solve our water crisis. Unfortunately, that call to action has been met with a deafening silence. Planning for this crucial EAA water storage project has been pushed off to begin in 2020 despite dire water conditions and land use projects pushing into that area that could eliminate the potential of using them to fix this situation forever. This is wholly unacceptable.
While we continue to advocate for many other steps that will also be needed, the EAA is the essential missing piece of the puzzle to cleansing and returning the excess water back to the Everglades and Florida Bay, where it historically flowed and is desperately needed.  Agriculture and flood protection will be maintained for the surrounding areas. The conversion of a portion of agricultural lands for this vital purpose would hardly spell disaster for the sugar industry, which will likely continue farming on the adjacent tens of thousands of acres it currently uses for sugar production.
Our rivers and estuaries are deteriorating, our tourism and real estate economies are suffering and people are becoming scared to enjoy the waterways which drew them to South Florida in the first place. We can no longer afford to have leaders only talk about solving this without taking the necessary actions needed to do so. Addressing septic systems is helpful but the science is clear that additional EAA land south of the Lake is needed.
With the passage of Amendment 1, the opportunity and money to buy land and build water projects is there. What we need now is our governor and the state agencies he directs to step up, take responsibility, and actually do what the voters want and count on them to do to address this situation and prevent it from reoccurring. To take action and message the Governor, go to www.conservancy.org/ourwork/policy/action.
Related:           Toxic algae emergency in Florida -- a preventable crisis        Naples Daily News

160709-b
Protestors vow to vote out elected officials over water quality
Fox4now.com – by Deborah Souverain
July 9, 2016
"We're not going to wait any longer."
Dozens of protestors gathered on Fort Myers beach to demand a solution to Lake O' water releases that have led to a state of emergency in several Southwest Florida counties.  "Those elected officials that do not take the action to buy the land, clean the water and send it south will be voted out of office period," said Chris Wills, Everglades Trust. 
Wills a member of an everglades restoration group traveled from Miami with his partner Daniela Ferrera to address what they say is an environmental crisis.
"This is not a political issue, this is a clean water issue," said Ferrera. "Our children should not be swimming in a toilet," added the activist as dozens of protestors lined up behind her on the Fort Myers beach fishing pier.
Lee County joins St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties under a state of emergency due to the growth of toxic blue green algae blooms on the state's Treasure Coast.
The blooms formed after polluted water was released from Lake Okeechobee. Florida's largest fresh water lake which has reached high levels due to heavy rainfall
Samples taken four days ago by the Florida Department of Health, which only tests for human pathogens, shows Lee County beaches are safe for swimming.
Protestor Cyndi Berger, who says she got a nocardia bacterial infection from the water, believes some are taking a dip at their own risk
"I wasn't aware and this happened to me so if people are aware maybe they won't go in the water until we get it cleaned and maybe the government will do something about," said Berger
Nocardia bacteria is found in soil and water; Berger's foot now has a black mark where the infection sprouted. 
Like many of the protestors, Berger says she plans on voting against elected officials who don't plan to address the condition of Southwest Florida's beaches and estuaries.

160708-a
Amid stench of algae crisis, politicians smell opportunity
Sun Sentinel – by Anthony Man
July 8, 2016
The toxic blue-green algae bloom that's turning stomachs, drawing national attention and causing economic damage on the Treasure Coast is spurring Florida politicians to act — to score political points for themselves and to blame their opponents for the environmental disaster.
Sounding authoritative on television and appearing responsive to a crisis is a top priority, a task made easier because the scientific details and decades of policy decisions that shed light on what's happening are complex.
"We've never been able to get politicians to take real action to protect Florida's waters, and now that a catastrophic bloom is occurring everyone says it's not their fault and they want to try to fix it," said Bradley Marshall, a Florida-based attorney with Earthjustice, a public-interest law firm specializing in environmental issues.
"The real question is are they going to try to do anything that will have a real impact. I remain skeptical that once these blooms dissipate that they'll do anything to prevent the next bloom," he said.
Marshall said there's "plenty of blame to go around." And elected officials and those running for office are more than happy to spread it — to someone else.
• The Florida Democratic Party and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, a Democrat who represents the algae bloom's epicenter — northern Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties — are ridiculing the concern expressed by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Rubio toured the area July 1 and appeared before TV cameras. On Thursday, he took to the Senate floor to discuss the issue. And during 10 days from June 28 through July 7, the re-election-seeking senator's office has cranked out 11 news releases on the subject.
"Marco Rubio is slinking around campaign photo ops pretending his absence didn't contribute to worsening conditions," Florida Democratic Chairwoman Allison Tant said in a statement.
Murphy is seeking his party's nomination to run against Rubio. Murphy's campaign blasted Rubio's "staggering inaction." The campaign of Carlos Beruff, the Bradenton developer challenging Rubio in the Republican primary, offered similar criticism.
• Murphy was attacked by the super political action committee associated with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who wanted Rubio to run for re-election figuring he was the Republicans' best chance of retaining control of the Senate.
The pro Rubio super PAC emailed a picture showing Murphy headed for his family's yacht off Nantucket Island in Massachusetts over the Independence Day weekend, suggesting he wasn't paying enough attention to the crisis back home. The attack was puzzling, since one of the central criticisms of Rubio was that he paid little attention to Florida during his unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, and racked up the worst Senate attendance record of any presidential candidate.
• Tim Canova, the Hollywood Democrat who is challenging U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston in the Aug. 30 primary, toured the area earlier this month. "It's rotten. It's toxic," he said, adding that the incumbent shares responsibility for the environmental problem because she's taken campaign contributions over the years from the sugar industry.
A range of environmental scientists say the fertilizer runoff from sugar cane fields — and the sugar industry's opposition to a land-buying plan that would avoid discharges of water that cause algae blooms — are the biggest factors causing the disaster.
Wasserman Schultz, who said she has spent two decades fighting for Everglades restoration and toughening water standards, termed Canova's charge "laughable."
"People who truly understand, care about or have worked on the issue know that Governor Rick Scott and Republicans in Tallahassee are the reason Floridians are suffering through another algae bloom crisis. Rick Scott and the leadership of the Legislature have dithered, delayed and derailed responsible steps to restore our famed Everglades," she said by email.
The $133,000 Wasserman Schultz received from the sugar industry over her 12 years in Congress amounts to slighly more than $11,000 a year, far less than the sugar industry gives to many other Democratic and Republican politicians.
Since early 2014, for example, U.S. Sugar of Clewiston gave more than $400,000 to Scott's political committee, including $100,000 last month. The Center for Responsive politics reports the sugar industry's No. 1 recipient of political money for the 2016 election is Rubio, who received $55,895. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, was a distant second, at $35,227. The top Florida recipients in the U.S. House were Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach ($31,900), and Carlos Curbelo, R-Miami ($31,300).
• Gov. Rick Scott has pointed to the culprit he cites when almost anything bad happens: the federal government and the Obama administration.
He has blamed the Army Corps of Engineers for water discharges from Lake Okeechobee for the problem. That frustrates Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon of Florida. While technically true that it's the immediate, short-term cause, Draper said it avoids the fact that the state hasn't devoted the money to fund the bipartisan solution that dates back to 2000: buying land south of Lake Okeechobee.
If that happened, environmentalists said, polluted lake water wouldn't have to be sent to the ocean. Instead, it could be stored and cleaned on land south of the lake, then allowed to flow farther south where it would help restore the Everglades and Florida Bay.
"Somehow Governor Scott and other politicians seem to blame this federal agency for the fact that these discharges are coming out of the lake. But the [Army] Corps doesn't make it rain," Draper said.
There's 2018 politics at play as well. Scott, a Republican, is widely expected to run for the Senate in 2018 when term limits force him out of the governor's office — against U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who's long been an advocate for programs that environmentalists say would alleviate or prevent the kind of problem that's now being seen.
Kevin Wagner, a political scientist at Florida Atlantic University, said politicians are responding in the way that politicians respond. "The fact that they respond to it in a partisan fashion is not a lot surprising," he said. "If you're running for office, you want to tell them what you're going to do and, if you're in office, you want to be doing something."
Eric Eikenberg, chief executive of the Everglades Foundation, said restoration efforts have had strong bipartisan support.
"It brings political parties together, and that must remain. What hurts is when either side blames each other. We have to get off the blame game. People want to see solutions. They don't want to see finger-pointing," he said. "Democrats didn't cause this problem. Republicans didn't cause this problem."
Eikenberg, who was chief of staff to the late U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, author of the landmark 2000 Everglades restoration law that passed with bipartisan support, would like to see the state's political leaders work toward buying land south of Lake Okeechobee.
Eikenberg was speaking by phone Thursday from Martin County, where there was plenty of foul-smelling algae — "it will knock you down; I've never smelled anything like it" — but no politicians or TV cameras. "They've gone home. They've gone back. The crisis continues."

160708-b
Cleaning dirty water responsibility of all communities
News-Press.com – Letter by Richard West, Cape Coral, FL
July 8, 2016
The Caloosahatchee River is a horrible mess thanks to the actions in the past and the current non-actions of all the parties responsible for this precious resource.
I have not seen the situation in Stuart, but I have to believe it is equally as bad. My wife and I have lived on the water, right off the river in Cape Coral on Bikini Basin for 20 years now. The water quality has continually gone downhill since the day we moved in. There was a time that I could actually see the bottom off the end of my dock.
That view is now nothing more than a distant memory. We used to see schools of dolphins, mullet and manatees in Bikini Basin. In the past I was able to catch trout, snook and redfish off my dock. Now, the best you can manage is an occasional catfish. Gone are the dolphin and I haven’t seen a manatee in 10 years. The big schools of mullet are all but gone as well. I never see an osprey feeding in the basin any more.
After reading a recent article in The News-Press about the cleanup of the Everglades and the South Florida Water Management District meeting, I am convinced that this dirty water situation is probably irreversible. The citizens of Florida voted by a wide margin to buy the U.S. Sugar land needed to build a much need reservoir but politicians chose to ignore the wishes of the voters and let the purchase deadline and the good pricing slip away.
Why did we even vote if the politicians were going to ignore our wishes? Shouldn’t we remember this come election time? Yes, we should but we won’t & that’s part of the problem. Social media & the immediate gratification factor have combined to make us forget about what happened yesterday.
Mayor J.P. Sasser, of Pahokee made one of the most ignorant statements regarding this regional problem that I have ever heard. “People in Fort Myers and Stuart should focus on cleaning up water quality issues in their communities before looking to Okeechobee residents and businesses.” What a head in the sand comment. It is hard to control what is happening upstream. There is no way that anything done by the coastal communities alone will correct this problem.
Other elected officials from Pahokee, Belle Glade and other towns near the lake were at the meeting as well, saying the more affluent people on the coasts should stop complaining about brown water when rural areas see unemployment rates as high as 20 percent. Guess what? There are probably more jobs affected by the loss of tourism combined with losses to the fisheries than ALL of the jobs in those communities combined.
It seems that there are far to any people and committees involved in this process. It’s as though they are all sitting around in a circle on their thumbs & nobody will make a definitive decision. So what do they do ?  Nothing. If no one does anything, I guess that no one has to take the heat & the blame can be shared as opposed to shouldered. All the while, the water quality continues to get worse by the day on both coasts.
Like the old plumbing saying goes, “you know what runs downhill.” The coastal communities in this case just happen to be downhill or downstream of this you know what. All I am hearing so far is a lot of I, I, I & me, me, me, but no we. Someone needs to get off their duff & do the right thing.

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Florida may spend millions battling stinky algae blooms
Associated Press, WSVN.com
July 8, 2016
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Amid a growing outcry — and national headlines — about a massive algae bloom fouling Florida’s southern beaches and rivers, Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday promised to dedicate millions more to battle the problem.
Scott announced that he would ask the Florida Legislature to set aside money that would be used for a grant program to aid homeowners who voluntarily want to switch from septic tanks to central sewer systems. He also pledged to set aside money in 2017 to help communities around the Indian River Lagoon and Caloosahatchee River build new wastewater systems.
Scott’s promise won’t do anything in the near future to remedy the algae bloom that put a smelly “guacamole-thick” muck on a stretch of beaches promoted as Florida’s “Treasure Coast.” But it marks a change of direction for the governor, who has directed most of the blame for the algae bloom on the federal government.
“While the state has continued to step up and invest in important restoration projects to help South Florida waterways, it is clear that more work has to be done,” Scott said in a statement distributed by his office. “It is up to all of us – the state, Florida’s local communities and the federal government – to work together on long term solutions to improve the quality of our water. That is why I am going to commit state funding and match it with local contributions so we can work together on efforts to clean up our waters. Septic tank runoff is a major contributor to the pollution in these water bodies and I look forward to working with the Legislature to fund efforts to curb it.”
Scott has not yet placed a price tag on his request. His administration said it planned to work with state environmental officials and South Florida water management district officials on specific details. The governor did say he plans to create a program that would require local communities to put up a 50 percent match in order to be eligible for state funding.
While Scott has had some trouble winning approval for his legislative priorities in the past two years, he will likely find support for his request since incoming Senate President Joe Negron is from Martin County, one of the areas hardest hit by the algae blooms.
Negron, a Stuart Republican who has opposed proposals in the past to require mandatory inspections of septic tank systems, called Scott’s proposal a “good long term policy” but he stressed that the current algae bloom affecting the region has been caused by discharges from Lake Okeechobee.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases polluted water from the lake to lower the pressure on a dike to avoid a repeat of a 1928 hurricane breach that killed 2,500 people. Scott and other Florida officials have complained that the federal government has been neglecting needed repairs for the dike.
Negron said one solution that is needed is to purchase land south of Lake Okeechobee where water could be stored before it flows south toward the Everglades. While Scott has backed many Everglades-related proposals, he and other Republicans have opposed calls to purchase land near the lake, which is owned by the state’s powerful and politically connected sugar producers.
Bradley Marshall, an attorney with Earthjustice, said that Scott’s latest proposal “isn’t focusing on the right problem.” He said that the governor should be targeting the industrial and agricultural uses that are polluting Lake Okeechobee.
“Until those pollutants are addressed, nothing is going to prevent a future algae bloom,” Marshall said.

160708-d
Florida's algae-fighting plan criticized by feds over endangered snail kite
Associated Press, Gainesville.com – by Terry Spencer
July 8, 2016
Florida's decision to fight a massive algae bloom by temporarily holding more water north of Lake Okeechobee is drawing criticism from federal wildlife officials who say the rising water is threatening 10 nests of an endangered bird.
FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida's decision to fight a massive algae bloom by temporarily holding more water north of Lake Okeechobee is drawing criticism from federal wildlife officials who say the rising water is threatening 10 nests of an endangered bird.
The South Florida Water District sent letters to Florida Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio on Friday, alerting them to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's request that it lower water in the Kissimmee River Valley to June 27 levels to protect the snail kite nests. The district raised the water level by 1.4 feet to slow the amount flowing into the lake.
That reduced the amount of nutrient-laden water flowing from the lake into the St. Lucie River, where a massive algae bloom recently clogged parts with a guacamole-thick green sludge. That sludge angered residents, threatened fish, fouled the air and drove away tourists. The reduction has reduced the amount of algae on the river, but the lake now has a 200-square mile bloom, more than a quarter of its surface.
Calling the wildlife service "oblivious," water district Executive Director Peter Antonacci told the senators that he plans to ignore the request and "take our chances with a federal judge if and when these tin-eared bureaucrats haul us off to court."
Antonacci was reacting to an email sent to him Wednesday by Bob Progulske, the service's Everglades supervisor, warning that the rising water is threatening the snail kite nests and recommending that the water table be lowered. The snail kite has been on the endangered species list since 1967. They are about 15 inches long with a 3.5-foot wingspan and live almost entirely on apple snails, a supply that is dwindling because of depleted water in the Everglades. There are about 400 breeding pairs left in Florida, but the bird also exists in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
"We wanted to encourage the South Florida Water Management District to help us by having a discussion about how water might be moved to the drier floodplain using water control structures to hold water there rather than sending it to Lake Okeechobee," Larry Williams, the service's state supervisor, said in an email. "That would in my view solve for several dilemmas protecting our citizens and business owners in the south, as well as nesting snail kites to the north. Unfortunately, we never got the chance to have that conversation."
Rubio, a Republican, and Nelson, a Democrat, both said the algae bloom must take precedence.
"This recommendation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is beyond comprehension, and an example of the federal bureaucracy run amok," Rubio said in a statement. "These regulatory decisions are having a real impact on Floridians, our ecology, our economy, and our very way of life." He sent a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell asking her to reverse the service's recommendation.
Nelson said he has asked the service to work cooperatively with the water district to solve the problem.
"The algae emergency must be addressed now," he said in a statement.
Related:           Ed Killer: Snail kites affect water storage      TCPalm

160708-e
Florida's algae problem tied to decades of pollution   
Sun Sentinel - by David Fleshler
July 8, 2016
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The algae fouling South Florida beaches traces its origin to cattle ranches, farms and neighborhoods as far north as Orlando.
A vast area drains into Lake Okeechobee, where water laden with phosphorus has fertilized the growth of horrific algae blooms that have been discharged to the ocean. The target phosphorus level for the lake is 105 metric tons a year. Last year, the lake received 450.
The problem has been building up over decades, and defies easy solutions.
Republican Gov. Rick Scott has blamed the algae plague largely on the Obama administration’s failure to fix the federally controlled dike around the lake, where high water levels necessitated discharges to the ocean to protect the deteriorated earthen structure.
But environmentalists point to decades of overdevelopment and lax regulation of agriculture, saying the state never forced farms, cities and other sources of phosphorus to reduce it sufficiently to allow the lake to recover.
“I think it’s irresponsible to point the finger at the federal government,” said Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon of Florida. “The question of who let the all that pollution into Lake Okeechobee is not a federal responsibility, that’s a state responsibility. Florida allowed three million acres that drain into Lake Okeechobee to become overdrained and overdeveloped.”
Most recently, he said, the state Legislature and Scott took action that served the lake badly. Lobbied by U.S. Sugar, a major campaign contributor, the governor and his appointees at the water management district rejected a deal to buy U.S. Sugar land south of the lake for water storage. That could have eventually reduced the need for discharges to the ocean.
And last year the state Legislature passed an agriculture-backed revision to water quality law that allowed polluters to continue discharging phosphorus as long as they complied with best management practices, such as not fertilizing when the weather forecast calls for heavy rain.
“Best management practices are essentially voluntary measures,” said Bradley Marshall, senior associate attorney at the Florida office of Earthjustice, the environmental law firm. “What we need are hard limits on how much phosphorus comes off these lands, and the state is not providing that.”
Tom Frick, director of the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said the new system is neither voluntary, nor easy to comply with.
Landowners within the lake’s huge watershed must show they are either not discharging pollutants or comply with best management practices, he said. The state is checking into levels of compliance and will engage in enforcement where necessary, he said.
Ultimately, he said, the state’s plan calls for bringing the lake’s phosphorus down to environmentally healthy levels within 15 years.
Vexing problems
Known once as the Devil’s element for its use in poisons and explosives (and status as the 13th element discovered), phosphorus was first isolated by a 17th-century alchemist. It’s an essential nutrient for plants and animals, but it has proved one of the most vexing problems for the Everglades, where native sawgrass requires a low-phosphorus environment to keep out competing plants such as cattails.
Phosphorus-laden discharges of water from the lake have been blamed, along with the hot weather, septic tanks and other factors, with causing the catastrophic algae blooms that have coated Treasure Coast beaches with green slime.
Although many environmentalists blame “Big Sugar,” the cane fields of U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals around the southern rim of the lake today account for only a small percentage of its phosphorus.
About 37 percent comes from land to the north that drains into the Kissimmee River, according to a 2015 report by the South Florida Water Management District. This includes vegetable farms, citrus groves, cattle ranches, dairy farms and neighborhoods as far north as the Orlando suburbs, where lawn fertilizer, animal waste and other sources of phosphorus wash into the river, which feeds into the lake.
Only 5.8 percent came from the lands where the sugar fields are located, along with towns and other kinds of farms.
Big Sugar's role
Judy Sanchez, spokeswoman for U.S. Sugar, said the industry has sharply reduced discharges to less than three percent of what’s going into the lake.
“People are just used to pointing the finger at us,” she said.
She criticized the idea of a buyout, saying it would not yield enough land for water storage to significantly reduce the damaging discharges from the lake to the ocean.
“You can’t send much more water south,” she said. “No matter what land you acquire, you’re still going to flow water out the estuaries.”
While the sugar industry’s discharges to the lake are minimal compared to other sources, that wasn’t the case in the past. A 1992 study found that sugarcane fields and sugar mills accounted for 28 percent of the lake’s phosphorus.
“There is a historic load of phosphorus already in Lake Okeechobee that came from the sugar farms,” Draper said. “There is a current load, even if it is not a major percentage, coming from the sugar farms. We have had long-standing plans to move some of the that water to the sugar farm land, and the sugar industry went from being favorable to that strategy to lobbying against it.”
Blaming homeowners
Earlier this month, the governor announced a proposal for matching grants to help homeowners switch from septic tanks to central sewer systems, which would reduce one source of phosphorus reaching the water.
“It is up to all of us — the state, Florida’s local communities and the federal government — to work together on long-term solutions to improve the quality of our water,” he said. “If approved by the Legislature, this voluntary program will provide funding to encourage residents to move from septic tanks to sewer systems in order to curb pollution.”
To critics, this appeared to be an attempt to avoid the more difficult choices that need to be made to clean up the lake.
“The state is trying to shift the blame to septic systems,” said Marshall, of Earthjustice. “While certainly they’re a source of phosphorus, they’re not the primary source of these blooms. It’s no coincidence that the blooms are occurring right after the discharges from Lake Okeechobee. Because that means they can avoid dealing with the real problem, which is runoff.”

160708-f
Lake O And The South Florida Water Crisis. Florida - Part 2
Huffington Post – by AJ Hartnett
July 8, 2016
 “Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man.” — Stewart Udall
As I wrote my last piece, I never expected things to fall so far so fast. Like you, I have watched the countless national news reports on the rapid deterioration of the great treasures of ours in South Florida with shock and dismay.
Clean water sources on both the southeast and southwest coasts of this great state are taking a beating like never before. There is a lot to discuss and this could easily turn into a 10 to 20 part series (and it probably will) on water management in all of South Florida. Let’s see how this evolves.
In this piece, I will focus on Lake Okeechobee (Lake O). As billions and billions of gallons of toxic fresh water continue to be released from Lake O into the Caloosahatchee River with its final destination the Gulf of Mex, that is only part of the story. The Gulf of Mex is subject to daily indignities from a host of other sources that have been building over the years. Needless to say, this narrative needs to change.
The same can be said for the discharges taking place that are being sent to the east coast via the St. Lucie Estuary. The pictures tell the story.
Lake O is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida and the seventh largest freshwater lake in the USA. It’s a bounty of nature.....or at least it was. As the population (and industry) around the lake has grown, so too have the epic natural and man-made disasters.
Major hurricanes in the 19th century led to the creation of the Okeechobee Flood Control District to help manage loss of life and property loss around Lake O. The Army Corps of Engineers was then assigned to assist in this effort, constructing channels, gates and levees of all kinds. From these efforts, a waterway connection between Ft. Myers and Stuart became a reality via Lake O.
Fast forward to the 21st century. This once fragile ecosystem we know as Lake O has been breaking down and the last few weeks we have seen that taken to new lows with the water releases to both coasts.
Dredging projects in Lake O over the last few years that have taught us a few things, too. The once pristine sandy bottom of Lake O is now a murky mix of toxic mud. As much as we have tried to keep the integrity of the ecosystem in place, we have not been able to keep up with agri business and real estate development. The mud bottom in Lake O contains elevated levels of arsenic and other pesticides. And that’s just the start of it. According to tests from the South Florida Water Management District, arsenic levels on the northern part of the lake bed are as much as four times the limit for residential land. Independent tests found the mud too polluted for use on agricultural or commercial lands, and therefore difficult to dispose of on land. So there it sits, ready to be released into South Florida communities or the Everglades.
Since 2013, the Army Corps of Engineers has been forced to pump billions of gallons of this water out of the lake to avoid jeopardizing the integrity of the Hoover dike that is holding back the water from inundating the surrounding populated area. Some claim that sugar plantations have been pumping polluted water from their flooded fields into the lake, but US Sugar claims back pumping is only to avoid flooding of communities, never to protect farm land. We will cover that in future columns.
In March 2015, the discharge rate was 2 billion gallons daily targeting Southeast and Southwest Florida. Keep in mind this is drinking water for tens of thousands, too.
As the population has grown exponentially on both coasts, the results of what we have been witnessing the last few weeks should be no surprise. Toxic discharge and population centers are never a good combination. There have been these sort of flare-ups a few times over the last few years, but nothing like what we are seeing today. Somebody somewhere knew this was coming, but it took an event like this on both the Southwest and Southeast coasts to wake people up.
Tourists going home with infections of all kinds. Locals getting sick from the water and ending up in the hospital. Fish kills. Unthinkable algae blooms. “Rivers of death” in the Gulf. The health and welfare of our neighbors and visitors are hanging in the balance in so many ways.....recreation, sea life, seafood consumption and on and on.
What do our elected leaders think is going to happen to the tourism industry and real estate values? How about other community leaders stepping up?
It’s now taking a grassroots effort to initiate much-needed change. A singular effort from one man holding vigil on a bridge in Ft. Myers, FL dedicating 90 straight days highlighting this madness has taken root and is now called the SWFL Clean Water Movement. A community of like-minded individuals has coalesced around his work and a Facebook community was born.
One quote over the last few weeks kinda tells the tale. This was from a local leader on the Southwest coast. “All of this comes and goes.” With all due respect, we are way beyond that point. As the “line of death” in the Gulf gets larger and more pronounced coupled with the with the relentless algae blooms in the east, it’s time to act.
If you are in Florida, and can make it, there is a gathering that will take place on the Ft. Myer’s, Florida pier to shine the light on these issues. This Saturday, July 9 at 5 pm.
Water is the lifeblood of Florida and it should be treated as such moving forward. No more taking it for granted. Get up... stand up …

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Marco Rubio, Rick Scott are top recipients of sugar contributions
TCPalm.com - by Isadora Rangel
July 8, 2016
Standing just feet away from putrid algae fouling local waters last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio questioned whether buying land south of Lake Okeechobee to build reservoirs to reduce discharges would help clean the St. Lucie River.
Another elected official who hasn't publicly supported buying land is Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who's been noncommittal despite reporters asking for his stance several times in recent years.
Rubio and Scott have another thing in common: They've received the most campaign contributions from the sugar industry, according to a Treasure Coast Newspapers analysis of the last elections of Florida politicians who either represent the Treasure Coast areas mostly impacted by lake discharges or have the power to push for a land purchase.
The sugar industry has donated $2.7 million since 2011 to support these six politicians in D.C. and Tallahassee; the Republican Party of Florida, which controls both legislative chambers; and committees dedicated to electing Republicans to the Legislature.
Sugar interests funneled more than $486,000 alone into Rubio's failed presidential bid.
Decision makers
A plan to reduce lake discharges into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers is expected to come up for a vote in Tallahassee next year.
Incoming Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, is working on a proposal that likely will include buying land south of the lake, much of which is owned by sugar farmers. The land would be used to redirect excess lake water into the Everglades instead of the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. Negron receive $2,500 from sugar interests before his 2014 race.
The hope is the current algae blooms, which flowed into the St. Lucie River via Lake O discharges, will push other lawmakers to support Negron's plan, said Everglades Foundation CEO Eric Eikenberg.
"The American political system is dominated by big money, and big money talks," Eikenberg said. "But we are hopeful in this crisis that the governor and other decision makers see through any of that."
Scott and Sugar
U.S. Sugar Corp. is the fourth largest donor to Scott's political committee, Let's Get to Work, since 2014, giving almost $960,000, state records show.
The Clewiston-based company lobbied last year against selling 46,800 acres to the state despite entering a 2010 contract to do so. Scott's appointees on the South Florida Water Management District board voted to void that contract in 2015, just as environmentalists were pushing the Legislature to allocate money for the purchase.
Scott and U.S. Sugar have pushed similar agendas to restore the Everglades and the Indian River Lagoon. Both say the state should focus on finishing projects already on the books, despite cries from environmentalists that more storage south of the lake is needed. Scott also signed a 2013 law that blocked lawsuits on 30-year, no-bid leases for sugar farmers in the northern Everglades. Negron was the only senator who voted against the bill, despite accepting more than $700,000 in sugar donations to his 2012 campaign and to political committees for which he raised money since 2008.
"I think the sugar industry has been influential with the Scott administration from the time that he was elected," said Audubon Florida Executive Director Eric Draper. "We are trying to get the governor to agree to have a planning process for storage south of the lake. ... We are having a hard time even getting that done."
Scott's office Friday said he's "looking at all options" to address lake discharges. When asked whether sugar contributions influenced the governor, spokeswoman Lauren Schenone said, "Absolutely not."
Same script
On his July 1 visit to Stuart, Rubio said the state and federal governments should work on storage north of Lake Okeechobee instead of south, noting most pollution enters the lake from the Kissimmee River and northern waters. That's despite a 2015 University of Florida study that found while north storage is needed, 11,000 to 120,000 acres of storage south of the lake also are needed to reduce discharges.
U.S. Sugar made a similar argument against buying land in a series of ads that ran in several Florida newspapers. One ad stated the state should "divert, store and treat polluted water before it reaches Lake Okeechobee."
The Fanjul family, owners of sugar giant Florida Crystals, made most of the donations to Rubio's presidential campaign and to a super PAC that supported him called Conservative Solutions.
At a news conference in Stuart, Rubio ignored a Treasure Coast Newspapers' reporter's question: Did the Fanjuls' money influence his stance on supporting storage north of the lake instead of the land purchase?
While sugar has great influence over lawmakers, it's hard to tell whether that's because of campaign donations or relationships with those politicians, said Draper, who works as a lobbyist on environmental issues in Tallahassee. Relationships are key in politics; it's what gets your phone calls returned, he said.
"How much of that is campaign contributions?" Draper said. "How much is relationships — because that's another place the sugar industry is particularly good? How much is the lobbyists working for them?"

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We have 10,000 letters to deliver to the governor
TCPalm.com – Column by Eve Samples
July 8, 2016
"What men do they can undo, and the hope for our river is in the hundreds of men and women in our communities who are resolved to save the (river). It may be too soon for the river to have a mood of confidence, but it is not too soon to hope." — Ernest Lyons, 1970
We published that quote from Lyons, late editor of The Stuart News, three years ago in boldface across our digital and print editions.
It was the "Lost Summer of 2013" — and the words felt uncannily appropriate as the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon were blasted, yet again, by contaminated discharges from Lake Okeechobee.
Our tax money was set aside to help.
Yet here we are again.
The crisis in the river has only escalated.
This year's volume of water from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie River has topped 156 billion gallons — 20 billion more gallons than we got in 2013.
The lake water we've been flooded with this year is enough to fill more than a quarter-million Olympic-size pools. It has blasted out the saltwater from our normally brackish estuary and triggered massive algae blooms.
Elected officials are still promising and planning.
Naysayers are still casting doubt that we can ever stop the discharges.
Still, like Lyons, I hold onto hope.
The men and women in this community — meaning you — responded in unprecedented fashion after we published a letter to Gov. Rick Scott on July 2. In that letter, we urged Scott to use the power of his office to "make a bold move" by acquiring more land to store, treat and move excess water south from Lake Okeechobee.
A box of more than 1,000 print letters is sitting in my office as I type this. More arrived in Friday's mail. And the number of print letters is eclipsed by the more than 7,500 sent via our digital letter (tcpalm.com/govletter) to Gov. Scott and lawmakers.
And more letters are rolling in each day.
We want to make it clear to the governor: State emergency declarations and requests for federal disaster assistance are not enough.
Nobody has more power over this issue than the governor of Florida. He is the lead negotiator for 20 million Floridians.
Scott must use his business experience to launch talks to buy land in the Everglades Agricultural Area south of the lake. He should include sugar companies, scientists, residents, business owners, activists and federal officials.
We have requested a sit-down interview with Gov. Scott to hand-deliver the letters and discuss this crisis. A spokeswoman responded that he was traveling next week, and we have yet to hear back from her with an alternate date.
Our offer stands.  We'll be waiting.
Related:           Concerns over toxic algae blooms voiced at West Palm Beach rally Palm Beach Post
Algae crisis prompts protesters to picket downtown  WPBF West Palm Beach
Editorial: Algae crisis needs unified action    Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Marco Rubio Is Unfazed by the Green Slime Creeping Towards His ...       Esquire.com
Chronicle: Algae crisis            WPBF West Palm Beach

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Algae blooms: Nelson asks Obama to OK state's request
MyNews13.com - by Stephanie Bechara and Christie Zizo, Team Coverage
July 7, 2016
ORLANDO --  Sen. Bill Nelson called on President Obama to approve the state’s request to declare a federal state of emergency over the algae blooms that are continue to plague South Florida’s waterways.
Gov. Rick Scott issued the request Wednesday.
●  Sen. Nelson asks President Obama to declare a federal state of emergency
●  Algae blooms affecting waterways, coastlines in four counties
●  Kissimmee River holding more water to relieve pressure on Lake Okeechobee
In a letter to the president, Nelson said all federal resources need to be available to deal with the cause and consequences of the blue-green algae blooms.
“Although this may involve assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), we also need to ensure that other related federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and others are working to resolve this crisis through a unified approach,” Nelson wrote.
In the letter Nelson also mentioned his attempts to push the Central Everglades Planning Project through Congress to restore the natural flow of water from Lake Okeechobee, the source of the algae blooms along the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.
Nelson also used the letter to reiterate that the Florida government needs to acquire additional land south of Lake Okeechobee, something Gov. Rick Scott has been reticent to do.
Heat and nutrients in the lake have spawned the blue-green algae, which have spread as water is pumped out of the lake to the east and west. Those algae blooms have shown up in the estuaries and along the Treasure Coast.
Four counties are currently under a Florida state of emergency.
How Central Florida factors into the Lake Okeechobee crisis
Boaters in Central Florida are watching the situation in South Florida carefully. The Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, which stretch from south Orange County through Osceola County are the headwaters for Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.
To deal with the algae situation down south, the water flow from the Kissimmee River into Lake Okeechobee has been reduced.
County officials say there is no concern at this time and that residents shouldn't notice anything different with the water. However, things might be different if we get hit with a hurricane.
"You can't hold back flood waters,” said Marc Meyers, who runs Central Florida Marine. “So you’ve got to protect people's lives foremost. And then you’ve got to find a way to recreate what nature did with the natural flow of the water. Nature is going to win. There's no question about it. She doesn't sleep. You can't predict it and it's just a matter of time."
He's also worried it could cause his business to take a hit. "Maybe they buy an ATV rather than buying a boat from Central Florida Marine," Meyers added.
We asked the South Florida Water Management District about the possibility of flooding due to the reduced water flow. They say it's not a concern now and they are keeping a close eye on water levels.
Related Previous Stories:       
Gov. Rick Scott announces septic tank grant plan
Environmentalists call for land seizure
Treasure Coast algae bloom: Engineers lower water flow
Martin, St. Lucie counties under state of emergency for algae blooms
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio urges President Obama to declare federal ...            WPBF West Palm Beach

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Corps of Engineers working on Okeechobee issues
Tampa Bay Times - Column by Col. Jason Kirk, commander of the Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
July 7, 2016
Water. In South Florida, we either have too much or too little. For most of 2016, heavy rains fueled by El Niño mean we've had too much. The flood control system operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District has prevented loss of life and major widespread property damage so far this year. However, we remain concerned about how much rain may fall and where that water can go without causing impacts that have the potential to be worse than current conditions in South Florida estuaries.
Unseasonably wet conditions during the dry season tested our South Florida water management system. We worked alongside our state and federal partners, utilizing any flexibility we could find in the system. Despite those efforts, Lake Okeechobee recorded its highest July 1 stage since 2005. The stage of 14.93 feet is more than three quarters of a foot higher than this point in 2013, another challenging year for water managers.
The high lake level for this time of year is concerning for a number of reasons. During a normal wet season, the lake rises 2 to 3 feet. The National Weather Service has issued outlooks that call for above-average precipitation over the next three months, which will likely add more water. We've seen numerous instances over the past 20 years of tropical systems producing enough rain to cause a 3- to 4-foot rise in the lake. A 5-foot rise in the lake from this point takes us into uncharted territory.
The highest stage recorded for Lake Okeechobee is 18.77 feet. We have seen increased seepage resulting in erosion and movement of foundation material from the dike when the lake reaches 18 feet. We want to avoid a scenario where the lake rises so high that the resulting water pressure increases the potential for erosion that could cause the dike to breach. Such a breach could cause widespread property damage and potential loss of life.
The Corps stands ready to respond should a breach scenario develop. However, part of our mitigation to prevent a breach includes managing the water level in the lake to keep it from rising too high. Unfortunately, this requires releasing water in quantities that, when combined with an equally large volume of basin runoff, upset the freshwater-saltwater mix in the estuaries. The change in that mix, coupled with hot weather and excessive nitrogen and phosphorus in the system from a variety of sources, are among the factors fueling the algae affecting the estuaries.
The Corps and the Water Management District are making progress on ecosystem restoration projects that will make the flood control system in South Florida more environmentally friendly. This summer, we will start efforts on the Lake Okeechobee Watershed and Western Everglades Restoration projects that will look at features to address some of the flows in and around the lake. I encourage as many people as possible to participate in this process.
We are working to expedite permits for water storage projects in accordance with the governor's request. We continue to exchange information with state agencies on the algal bloom and other environmental issues. We all want to see better environmental conditions in South Florida, but we must also manage water in a manner that reduces the risk of loss of life or widespread property damage.
Eight million people in South Florida depend on the system to safeguard their lives and property. Flood protection is what Congress expected when they asked the Corps to develop flood control solutions, and I believe it's ultimately what the citizens of our nation expect as well.

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Ecological Policy Award recognizes Shannon Estenoz for Everglades restoration
ESA Public Release - Ecological Society of America
July 7, 2016
The Ecological Society of America will present its 9th annual Regional Policy Award to Shannon Estenoz, Director of Everglades Restoration Initiatives for the US Department of Interior during the society's Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
On Sunday, August 7, 2016, the Ecological Society of America (ESA) will present its ninth annual Regional Policy Award to Shannon Estenoz, Director of Everglades Restoration Initiatives for the US Department of Interior during the Society's Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The ESA award recognizes an elected or appointed local policymaker who has an outstanding record of informing policy decisions with ecological science.
Estenoz coordinates the work of the three Department of Interior agencies that are responsible for Everglades restoration efforts: the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the US Geological Survey. The Everglades are recognized both nationally and internationally as one of the world's unique natural and cultural resources. Encompassing nearly 18,000 square miles of the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, the Everglades and the greater Everglades ecosystem (spanning from the Kissimmee River basin north of Lake Okeechobee all the way south to Florida Bay) are also the focus of the world's largest intergovernmental watershed restoration effort.
"The Society applauds Ms. Estenoz's decades-long commitment to conservation and her work to protect and restore the Florida Everglades," said ESA President Monica Turner. "As the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, the Everglades functions as both a national treasure and critical habitat for a diverse array of flora and fauna. ESA celebrates her collaborative efforts with researchers, policymakers and community leaders to protect this vital ecosystem from pollution, climate change, invasive species and other threats to this cherished ecosystem."
Estenoz's career encompasses a spectrum of prior leadership positions: Executive Director of the Environmental and Land Use Law Center, Everglades Program Director of the World Wildlife Fund, three terms as National Co-Chair of the Everglades Coalition, and Sun Coast Regional Director of the National Parks Conservation Association. Florida Governors Lawton Chiles, Jeb Bush, and Charlie Crist tapped her for public service during their tenures.
"I am very honored to be selected for this award by the Ecological Society of America. Strengthening the nexus between science and decision-making is a high priority for me and for the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives," said Estenoz.
Previous accolades given to her include many awards: Champion of the Everglades Award from Audubon of Florida (2010), Marjory Stoneman Douglas Environmental Award from Friends of the Everglades (2010), the National Wetland Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (2001) and Conservationist of the Year awards from the Florida Wildlife Federation (2002), the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation (2003), and Everglades Coalition (2009).
ESA President Turner will present the 2016 ESA Regional Policy Award at the start of the meeting's Opening Plenary on Sunday, August 7 at 5 PM in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina. The plenary will be open to the general public.

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Reduced Lake Okeechobee discharges continue, but benefit also has downside
TCPalm.com - by Tyler Treadway
July 7, 2016
Lake Okeechobee discharges in the coming week will remain at the same level as last week with an average flow of about 756.2 million gallons a day and a two-day hiatus Wednesday and Thursday.
The Army Corps of Engineers' lowering of the flow a week ago by about 35 percent from 1.2 billion gallons a day already is having effects in the St. Lucie River: one good, and one that could be not so good.
Salinity in the estuary is rising, according to a Kilroy remote-control water sensor near the Palm City Bridge.
The increased salinity will kill the blue-green algae, known as microcystis, "which everyone desperately wants to see gone," said Edie Widder, founder and lead scientist at the Ocean Research and Conservation Association in Fort Pierce, which made and monitors Kilroys throughout the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.
On the down side, algae samples taken in the river around Palm City and Stuart have tested positive for hazardous levels of toxins, and as the cells die, they'll release more of their toxins, Widder said.
The Kilroy at the Palm City Bridge also is showing a drop in dissolved oxygen in the water because as bacteria eat the dead cells, they suck oxygen out of the water, which can lead to fish kills.
Widder called it "a double whammy on an already overstressed ecosystem."
The current round of discharges that started Jan. 30 has dumped about 150 billion gallons of water, 2.1 million pounds of nitrogen and 250,000 pounds of phosphorus from Lake Okeechobee into the river. The fresh water practically has wiped out the salinity in the river, allowing algae to thrive; and the nutrients have fed algae blooms that now spread throughout the estuary.
Algae with toxins can cause nausea and vomiting if ingested, and rash or hay fever symptoms if touched or inhaled. Drinking water with the toxins can cause long-term liver disease. Recent research suggests another toxin in blue-green algae can trigger neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's diseases.

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Toxic algae flourish as Everglades solution eludes Florida
CircleOfBlue.org - by Codi Kozacek
July 7, 2016
The blooms plaguing coastal estuaries are a symptom of a system out of balance.
In the late June heat and as federal managers released phosphorus-laden water from Lake Okeechobee, the rivers and lakes of Florida’s St. Lucie estuary turned virulent green with algae. The noxious blooms have since clogged marinas and closed beaches, forcing Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency in four counties over the past week and to plead with the Obama administration to declare the region a national emergency.
The unsightly muck is the most recent manifestation of a recurring water quality menace in South Florida. Estuaries east and west of Lake Okeechobee along Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts now regularly succumb to algal blooms, often with severe ecological and economic consequences. Blooms in the past five years have been linked to the decimation of critical sea grass beds in the Indian River Lagoon and to manatee deaths near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. In communities along the Treasure Coast, where blooms are amassing this year, the presence of algae cuts into important revenue streams from recreation and tourism.
The problems in South Florida also mirror an increase in the frequency and intensity of toxic algal blooms globally. High-profile blooms are an annual occurrence in Lake Erie, where they contaminated water supplies in 2014 for nearly half a million people in Ohio, and in China’s Lake Taihu. The oxygen-starved “dead zones” that accompany large blooms of algae are spreading as well, totaling more than 400 globally. One of the most prominent, the Gulf of Mexico dead zone, is expected to cover an area the size of Connecticut this summer, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast.
Both the blooms and the dead zones are triggered by excess amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen, two nutrients found in fertilizers, sewage, stormwater runoff, and industrial discharges. As agricultural production and cities expand, more nutrients are choking the world’s waterways. Warmer temperatures and intense storms linked to climate change are expected to further drivenutrient pollution and algal blooms.
“What’s going on in Florida, it’s happening all around the world now. There are too many people, too much food production, too much fertilizer on the landscape,” Bill Mitsch, director of the Everglades Wetland Research Park at Florida Gulf Coast University, told Circle of Blue. “It’s going to be haunting us for a long time.”
Florida Searches for a Fix
Releases of fresh water from Lake Okeechobee, discharged to prevent flooding, are widely blamed for causing algal blooms in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. Water is discharged when levels become too high to be safely corralled by the Herbert Hoover Dike, a 230-kilometer (143-mile) earthen wall surrounding Lake Okeechobee that dates from the 1930s. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the dam, has been releasing up to 51 cubic meters of water per second (1,800 cubic feet) into the St. Lucie River after record amounts of rain fell across South Florida over the winter. The lake water contains high levels of phosphorus, a key nutrient for algae, and the influx of fresh water into brackish estuaries further tips conditions in favor of algae.
While other factors also contribute to algal growth—water temperature, salinity, and nutrient pollution from septic tanks are all important—the releases from Lake Okeechobee are the focus of public and political ire. Residents, business owners, and lawmakers have all called on the Corps to speed up repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike and stop the flow of water into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee. Since 2007, the Corps has invested more than $US 500 million in projects to shore up the dike, but the timeline for improvements could stretch well into the next decade.
“Florida’s waterways, wildlife and families have been severely impacted by the inaction and negligence of the federal government not making the needed repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike and Florida can no longer afford to wait,” Governor Scott said in a statement accompanying his emergency declaration on June 29. “Because the Obama Administration has failed to act on this issue, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to discharge millions of gallons of water into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries resulting in the growth of blue-green algae which is now entering residential waterways in South Florida.”
The governor’s emergency order directed the South Florida Water Management District, the state agency that manages water from Orlando to the Florida Keys, to store more water in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, before it reaches Lake Okeechobee. For its part, the Corps agreed to reduce the target water flows into the St. Lucie estuary to 33 cubic meters per second (1,170 cubic feet), and to 85 cubic meters per second (3,000 cubic feet) for the Caloosahatchee.
The Everglades Problem
But even if dike repairs eventually allow managers to store more water in Lake Okeechobee, South Florida will still face an immense water management challenge.
The Herbert Hoover Dike is just one component of a 2,700-kilometer (1,700-mile) network of levees and canals that re-plumbed the region’s water flows. After flooding from hurricanes killed more than 2,600 people around Lake Okeechobee in the late 1920s, and caused widespread destruction again in 1947, Congress authorized the construction of the Central and Southern Florida Project. The project’s aim was to provide flood control to areas east of Lake Okeechobee and drain agricultural land to the south. To accomplish those goals, most of the water that once flowed south into the Everglades, sometimes in a sheet stretching 100 kilometers (62 miles) across, was kept in Lake Okeechobee and channeled east and west through the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers.
By engineering a solution to some problems, water managers created others. The result of the dike system is too much fresh water running into the rivers and their associated estuaries on the coasts, and too little fresh water making it south to the Everglades. In the estuaries, this can lead to algal blooms and harm oysters and vegetation. In the Everglades, it allows more saltwater intrusion from rising sea levels that can cause the collapse of peat soils and the destruction of wetland habitat.
The water in Lake Okeechobee is so heavily laden with phosphorus from farms, cities, and septic runoff that it is too polluted to risk sending to the Everglades.
The solution, then, seems obvious: allow water from Lake Okeechobee to flow south to the wetland as it used to do.
“The basic concept is the water should flow north and south,” said Mitsch. “The diversion east and west really brought in a whole other set of problems that they hadn’t anticipated, or maybe they had but thought they could get away with it.”
But in a twist of ecology, the water in Lake Okeechobee is so heavily laden with phosphorus from farms, cities, and septic runoff that it is too polluted to risk sending to the Everglades, where plants and animals are adapted to extremely low levels of the nutrient. Higher levels of nutrients can facilitate the growth of nuisance species such as cattail, which displaces native sawgrass.
“We have the option of getting lots of water from Okeechobee that is currently being turned loose on the St. Lucie,” said Peter Frederick, a research professor in the department of wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Florida. “They would love for us to take that water. The only problem is it’s dirty water.”
An additional barrier is population growth. A century ago, the Everglades region was home to half a million people. Now, more than 6 million people live in major population centers south of Lake Okeechobee, including Miami, West Palm Beach, and Fort Meyers.
Restoration Slow and Difficult
The phosphorus problem has long stymied restoration efforts in Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades, and coastal estuaries. In 2000, Congress authorized the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), billed as the largest ecosystem restoration project in the world. The project is estimated to cost more than $US 10 billion and could take more than three decades to complete. Though some progress has been made, funding gaps and technical hurdles have impeded the plan’s implementation.
Chief among them is the difficulty of extracting phosphorus from the large quantities of water flowing through Lake Okeechobee. While some efforts have focused on reducing phosphorus runoff from agricultural lands in the Lake Okeechobee watershed, scientists say the legacy phosphorus contained in the lake’s sediments—as much as 300 years’ worth—would pose a problem even if farmers reduced runoff to zero. Instead, they argue that the best bet to clean the water is filtering it through large areas of constructed wetlands. This would mimic the natural functioning of the Everglades system; before the installation of canals and dikes, water could take more than year to trickle down from Lake Okeechobee through the Everglades to the ocean. Extra water storage could also help communities better withstand periods of droughts and floods, which are expected to become more severe under climate change scenarios.
We’ve got a huge amount invested in this infrastructure, in this system. With a little bit more we could make the whole thing go.” –Peter Frederick, Research Professor, University of Florida
“If that’s true, buffering is really going to be at a premium,” Frederick told Circle of Blue. “The problem we are faced with right now is that we’ve got a huge amount invested in this infrastructure, in this system. With a little bit more we could make the whole thing go.”
Finding the space and finances to build all of these wetlands, called Stormwater Treatment Areas, is yet another challenge. Florida has already constructed 23,000 hectares (57,000 acres) of STAs south of Lake Okeechobee. Last year, they treated 1.4 million acre-feet of water and reduced phosphorus by 83 percent, according to the South Florida Water Management District. The state plans to allocate $US 5 billion over the next 20 years to further implement the CERP, on top of the nearly $US 2 billion it already invested, but argues that the federal government should be paying more to help.
A water resources bill before the U.S. Senate would do that. The bill allocates $US 1 billion to the Central Everglades Planning Project, which would help rehabilitate the natural hydrology in South Florida. Both of the state’s senators support the measure as do environmental groups. Researchers say that the region, with a better ecological balance, can recover.
“It’s a hydrological mess right now, but it’s not unsolvable,” Mitsch said.

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Everglades Foundation still peddling its debunked science
SunshineStateNews - by Nancy Smith
July 6, 2016
It's unfathomable to me that the Everglades Foundation can continue to claim “hypersalinity” is killing seagrass in Florida Bay -- proposing to “send water south” from Lake Okeechobee to save the bay.
On Saturday, Eric Eikenberg, the Foundation's CEO, issued a press statement saying just that:
"Drawing upon several decades of Everglades science experience and utilizing sophisticated mathematical modeling tools (the same tools used by the State of Florida)," he wrote, "Everglades Foundation scientists have concluded that this problem can be prevented. The solution: storing significant water south of Lake Okeechobee. This would provide for the freshwater needs of Florida Bay while reducing harmful discharges to the east and west. Three estuaries, one solution."
How many times does Eikenberg have to hear from scientists working in the field -- really working for decades studying the decline of coral reefs, for example -- that the "science" he's peddling doesn't hold water (pun intended) -- particularly for Florida Bay? 
The Foundation's hypothesis belongs in mothballs. It's been around for decades. It was demonstrated to be fatally flawed in the early 1990s when the newly formed Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) was established to “protect water quality” in Florida Bay and the Florida Keys.
Allow me to summarize:
After FKNMS officials demanded more fresh water, water flows were ramped up to both Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough, bringing more freshwater to Florida Bay -- and the salinity dropped. What happened ?  The Everglades Foundation knows but it doesn't say: Rather than improving water quality, massive blue-green algae blooms, similar to those currently impacting the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, formed in Florida Bay and were carried by currents through the tidal channels of the Keys, all the way to sensitive offshore coral reefs.
Not only did this trigger more seagrass die-off in the bay by reducing much-needed light, but also a sponge die-off, and a plethora of coral diseases in the “Marine Sanctuary” that reduced living coral cover by some 40 percent between 1996 and 2000.
And, because of all the septic tanks and sewage discharging into Keys coastal waters, the reduced salinity and regional algae blooms triggered a proliferation of fecal bacteria that closed area beaches -- all the way from Key Largo to Key West. Yes, the beaches were closed, just like this past week in Martin County.  
The problem was, the Bay needed clean water, not just fresh water. The nitrogen in the dirty fresh water stimulated the blue-green algae blooms in Florida Bay, and the regional water quality has not been the same since. This is not Nancy Smith talking, it comes from the work of scientists who have been, and are now, actively studying coral reef decline and water quality. 
The once “gin clear” water in the Keys is now “emerald green,” and average visibility has decreased from 70 feet or more in the 1980s to less than 20 feet these days.
The hypersalinity "hypoorthesis" was never supported by science, much less common sense, and was officially de-bunked by the National Academy of Sciences over a decade ago. 
And, the idea of cleaning nitrogen from millions of acre-feet of water a year before it gets to Florida Bay ?  That is a pipe dream that even the tooth fairy wouldn’t promise. Again, please don't take that from me. Ask any scientist without an ax to grind, who is versed in this discipline. Cleaning water of phosphorous is one thing; trying to remove nitrogen is quite another.
Actually, investigative reporters Bob Malloy and Will Bourne wrote about all this in 1996 -- about how money and political influence contributed to the demise of water quality and the seagrass/coral reef ecosystems of Florida Bay and the Florida Keys. The story records the cluster of misery left in the wake of scientists -- the very scientists who form the Everglades Foundation's opinions today --  whose theories were disastrously off base.
Everglades Foundation founders George Barley and Paul Tudor Jones featured large in the 7,925-word epic. According to the story, Barley bought into bad science promulgated by Joseph Zieman, a University of Virginia seagrass biologist, and his colleague, Ron Jones of Miami's Florida International University; Tudor Jones bankrolled the development of their wrong conclusions. Meanwhile, water quality in Florida Bay and the upper Keys worsened because of it.
An ecological disaster had been unfolding in South Florida since the 1970s. "Fishermen began reporting blooms of sheetlike macroalgae in western Florida Bay, the crescent of water that lies between the Keys and the southern tip of the mainland," wrote the authors.
Much of the coral in the Keys died between 1986 and 1996. Said Malloy and Bourne, "These algae blooms today are as bad as they have ever been. ... An estimated 100,000 acres of seagrass has died while schools of tarpon and other game fish are washing up onto the beaches, killed by explosive blooms of neuro-toxic 'red tide.'"
Zieman sold the scientific community and prevailing bureaucrats his theory, that a reduction in the freshwater flow through the Everglades had led to a chronic increase in the salinity of Florida Bay. Too much salt in the water was somehow killing seagrass beds.
Eventually, Zieman and Jones, the purveyors of bad science, were "disappeared." Zieman, at least for a time, did leave the state. And Jones not only left Florida, he left his tenured professorship at FIU and all of his funding.
That's not to say the environmental community ever acknowledged their devastating mistake -- frightening in the context of the Everglades Foundation/Trust/Coalition today. They bought into it so far, they couldn't afford to drop it. Instead, they relate all the failure to "climate change."
Wrote Malloy and Bourne, "What began for us as an investigation of bad science, of a flawed hypothesis that seemed to acquire supernatural powers, evolved into an examination of power, money and big-business environmentalism in South Florida. As environmentalists, it rapidly soured us on the philosophy and tactics that have moved to the forefront of the battle to save our natural treasures. It became a case study in ethical disintegration."
Remember, Malloy and Bourne wrote this 20 years ago. Other scientists, even before the National Academy of Sciences debunked hypersalinity, called it "bad science." Now even NOAA looks at its dying coral reefs and can't explain it.
And by the way: Here's what Catherine Elizabeth Barley-Albertini‎, daughter of Everglades Foundation founder George Barley, wrote in Facebook June 21: "If everyone would have listened to Brian Lapointe of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Bay and the Indian River Lagoon would have had a chance to have been saved already. Instead, bad science and covert agendas prevailed. I think my late-father, George Barley was duped, and would have eventually changed his mind on cause should he have survived, because he was always skeptical and questioned everything."
Lapointe is one of the working marine biologists who tries to open the curtain and reveal the truth about the Foundation-FKNMS bogus hypothesis. 
I write about this every once in a while. It's a story to keep in mind as the Everglades Foundation continues to peddle claims it knows how to control algae and make Florida Bay better.
Shouldn't Florida, perhaps the University of Florida, convene a gathering of real scientists with knowledge and studies performed in and of coastal waters, to discuss this publicly ?  Don't we need to make sure we're going in the right direction, or do we really want to continue taking the Everglades Foundation's word for it ?

160706-b
Islamorada council supports Big Sugar purchase
KeysNews.com – by Timothy O’Hara, Citizen Staff
July 6, 206
The Islamorada Village Council has adopted a resolution calling for the federal and/or the state government to purchase the U.S. Sugar Corp.-owned land as part of the multibillion-dollar Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project.
Islamorada councilman Mike Forster has called on his counterparts on the Monroe County Commission to pass a resolution equally as strong when they vote ...
For the complete article, please pick up a copy of The Citizen for this day or purchase this day's electronic edition at http://secure.floridakeys.com/keysnews/enews. 

160706-c
Marco Rubio: I’ve been working to address Florida’s water challenges
TCPalm.com – by By Marco Rubio, a U.S. Senator from Florida who is running for re-election
July 6, 2016
Following my visit to the Treasure Coast on Friday to see the algae disaster firsthand, many Floridians are rightfully asking: What are our leaders doing to solve this problem that is damaging their businesses, their local economies and the value of their properties?
Since some in the media haven't fully answered that question, I will attempt to catch your readers up on my progress and efforts in Washington, many of which have been done in partnership with Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida).
I have been confronting problems caused by the discharges from Lake Okeechobee for years now. In addition to tours of the affected areas, numerous meetings and conference calls with local leaders and stakeholders, and constant contact between my staff and all relevant state and federal government entities, I have also taken effective legislative action.
Last time I visited the affected coastal communities, one of the top priorities was the deauthorization of the Ten Mile Creek Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area. I passed that deauthorization into law in December of last year.
The second priority was the Central Everglades Planning Project, which would divert some of the discharges away from the coastlines and into the Everglades. For my first four years in the Senate, this was being held up by the dysfunction of the Senate Democratic majority and the administration's failure to produce a required report on time. Once in the majority, I was able to work with Senator Jim Inhofe — a key senator whose committee was the traffic cop for this legislation and who was not initially inclined to support it — educated him on the importance of the project, and it is now included in a major piece of legislation in the Senate that has passed through a key committee and awaits a full Senate vote.
None of these solutions alone are satisfactory. That's why I'm going to continue fighting on other priorities. We will work to get the Army Corps of Engineers to stop, or at least slow, these harmful flows. Should Florida's governor formally request a federal disaster declaration, I will support this action and encourage the president to approve. This would allow the full breadth of federal aid to become available to affected communities and businesses.
We are urging the appropriate health care agencies to assess the long-term health risks of these algae blooms. Finally, I will continue to push to get the Senate's water bill, which now contains authorization for the Central Everglades Planning Project, across the finish line.
This is a grave problem our state is facing, especially the people living on the Treasure Coast, for whom the algae is damaging their communities and livelihoods.
This disaster transcends political bickering, yet it also highlights exactly why Washington is so frustrating. While the Central Everglades Planning Project is hopefully nearing passage, we cannot and will not stop there. I will work with anyone and everyone I can to restore our coastal communities and local economies to their full beauty and strength.

160706-d
Palm Beach County tourism community wants to clear up algae bloom perceptions
Sun Sentinel – by Skyler Swisher
July 6, 2016
The algae bloom devastating the Treasure Coast has been described in national headlines as a "reeking," "oozing" and "guacamole-thick" mess that is closing South Florida beaches.
Those are not exactly the words Palm Beach County's tourism industry wants associated with Florida's waters.
Discover The Palm Beaches, the county's tourism marketer, has been in "crisis communication mode," working to dispel any perception that Palm Beach County's 47 miles of beaches are also being coated in the neon-green slime, said Ashley Svarney, the organization's public relations director.
She wants Americans to know the water is fine in Delray Beach, Boca Raton and other popular destinations.
"We have been working really hard to get this message out," Svarney said. "Our beaches are as clean and as pristine as ever."
As of Tuesday, all of Palm Beach County's beaches are open, and it's safe to swim, said Daniel Bates, the county's deputy director of Environmental Resources Management.
Blue-green algae briefly closed Peanut Island to swimming Friday, but the beaches were reopened the next day when it appeared the algae had dissipated, Bates said.
The problem is visitors unfamiliar with Florida are associating photos of the Treasure Coast with Palm Beach County, Svarney said. The governor last week extended the state of emergency from Martin and St. Lucie counties to also include Palm Beach County, but the heart of the problem has been farther north, along the Treasure Coast, officials say.   
Most of the algae spotted in Palm Beach County has been in Intracoastal waters between West Palm Beach and Lake Worth, Bates said. Because the flow of the Gulf Stream is generally in a northward direction, the county’s environmental officials don’t expect the blue-green algae in Martin County to reach the beaches of Palm Beach County.
Svarney said hoteliers have been fielding phone calls from worried guests.
"There have been concerned callers who are questioning what is taking place here and the current status of the blue-green algae," Svarney said. "The media is showing these images that are devastating Martin County and then are lumping in Palm Beach County."
Working with a New York-based public relations firm, the tourism group has been sending alerts to media in the Northeast, Chicago and other key markets informing them that Palm Beach County's beaches have not been closed, Svarney said. National reporters are being invited to visit the beaches and see the conditions.
Svarney said she's also encouraging hoteliers and others to post photos and video on social media showing that Palm Beach County's beaches are clean and filled with visitors. She's sending links to live cams that allow visitors to monitor beach conditions from their computer.
Big dollars are at stake. Lured by beautiful blue water and swaying coconut palms, nearly 7 million people visited Palm Beach County in 2015, producing more than $7 billion in economic impact, according to Discover The Palm Beaches.
The organization's CEO Jorge Pesquera appeared on NBC Nightly News over the Fourth of July weekend. He strolled along the beach in Lake Worth with a reporter. Beachgoers frolicked in the surf, and Pesquera stressed that he would be comfortable letting his own children take a dip in the ocean.
Tourism officials and civic leaders called a press conference on Friday and insisted the water was safe for swimming.
More algae is expected to come into Palm Beach County now that water managers are directing more algae-laden water from Lake Okeechobee into the West Palm Beach Canal, which discharges into the Lake Worth Lagoon just south of downtown West Palm Beach.
It's difficult to say how much algae could be seen, although it's unlikely an algae bloom will lead to widespread beach closures in Palm Beach County, Bates said.

160706-e
South Florida’s water woes: Mitigating algae blooms and solutions to restore Everglades water flow
WJCT.org - by Richard Chin Quee
July 6, 2016
Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency for Martin, Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Lee Counties related to a toxic blue-green algae bloom that’s left portions of Florida’s Atlantic coast covered in a thick layer of foul-smelling algae muck.  In response the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has reduced the flow of water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers.
Due to an unusually rainy winter, excess releases of nutrient-laden water from Lake Okeechobee caused murky brown water conditions on the Gulf coast in Lee County earlier this year, disrupting salinity levels, killing oyster beds and sea grasses, and creating an eye-sore for beachgoers.  We’ll hear from environmental advocates, lawmakers and state and federal agencies about how they’re mitigating the current blue-green algae bloom, and challenges and opportunities for long term projects needed to store water and to restore a more natural flow of water South from Lake Okeechobee through the Everglades.

160706-f
To get rid of toxic algae, end farms' special status
Sun Sentinel – by Randy Schultz
July 6, 2016
Toxic algae fouls waters because farmers are protected.
As Florida's latest environmental crisis has blossomed, Gov. Rick Scott has done what he does in every crisis: blame someone else.
Martin County made national news in a bad way over the weekend. Toxic algae blooms had closed beaches and fouled inland waterways. A similar outbreak in 2013 led to what residents call "The Lost Summer." Palm Beach County also briefly closed one beach, and St. Lucie County advised against swimming near the Martin border.
On June 29, Scott declared a state of emergency. For the governor, it also was a political emergency. As happened in 2013, residents wanted answers. Scott had his usual response: It's the federal government's fault.
Since Jan. 30, the Army Corps of Engineers has dumped water from Lake Okeechobee through the canal that connects to the St. Lucie River. Record winter rains had raised the lake level to where it threatened the dike around the southern shore.
Scott accused the federal government — translation: President Obama — of failing to finish an upgrade of the dike. As Scott sees it, a stronger dike would allow a higher lake level and mean no dumping of water. Problem — environmental and political — solved.
In fact, the dike is not the main problem. After Katrina, the corps might not allow higher levels even after completing the upgrade. The main problem is that Florida bases environmental policy on the interests of farmers.
South of Lake Okeechobee is the Everglades Agricultural Area — about 700,000 acres of farms. If Florida protected the lake and the St. Lucie River watershed the way the state has protected the Everglades Agricultural Area, blue-green algae wouldn't be closing beaches and hurting businesses. During emergencies, the Corps could release much more water to the south.
Yet Mark Perry, director of the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart, noted in an op-ed for TC Palm Newspapers that "water releases south from the lake stopped in mid-November." Farmers then sent more water east into conservation areas, raising levels dangerously high. "This happens because the Everglades Agricultural Area is allowed to have perfect drainage ..." while other areas drown.
Audubon of Florida Executive Director Eric Draper agrees that the state has kept Everglades Agricultural Area fields as dry or wet as the farmers want them, and when. Audubon and others last year asked the South Florida Water Management District to exercise its option on nearly 47,000 acres of land from U.S. Sugar that could hold lake water sent south.
The water district board, all of whose members Scott had appointed, rejected the idea, and the option lapsed. Draper recalled Tuesday that the main argument against the deal was that the district didn't have a plan for the land.
Until 2020, however, the district can buy roughly 153,000 other acres from U.S. Sugar. In April, Audubon and other environmental groups asked the water district and the corps of engineers to plan a reservoir for that land as part of their Lake Okeechobee Watershed study.
On May 11, however, the water management district's executive director, Peter Antonacci, blew them off. "Expanding the scope" of the study, Antonacci wrote back, would amount to "costly distraction and loss of time." The district, Antonacci said, would focus on cleaning up water before it enters the lake.
Not surprisingly, that's the governor's approach. Scott has stacked the five water management district boards with unquestioning allies and told board members to pick directors Scott prefers. Last year, Scott's people ran off the previous director and installed Antonacci, the governor's former legal counsel who had no relevant experience or training for the director's job.
As for Scott's approach, this year the governor signed legislation that relaxes water-quality rules for areas north of Lake Okeechobee. Scott also opposed the Environmental Protection Agency's attempt to issue stronger water-quality rules. He hasn't pushed the Legislature to prioritize the environmental spending voters demanded when they passed Amendment One in 2014.
On June 10, U.S. Sugar Corp., made the latest of the company's four $100,000 donations in the last two years to Scott's political action committee, which continues to operate long after the governor's re-election. Scott has not shown up in Martin County. That figures. The governor will accept U.S. Sugar's check, but Martin residents whose canals are now green might not accept his answers.

160705-a
Farming is a pillar of Florida’s economy
Naples Daily News - Guest commentary by Ardis Hammock, Moore Haven Frierson Farms
July 5, 2016
Imagine Florida without farms.
Without farms, Floridians would lose a bounty of fresh, healthy, home-grown produce that is available year-round, thanks to our tropical climate.
Strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, melons and other fruits would need to be imported from California or South America, likely at an increased cost to consumers.
Florida would no longer be the No. 1 producer of market vegetables, the No. 2 producer of nursery plants and the No. 3 producer of honey.
The country would lose a major producer of milk and beef, along with two-thirds of the nation's supply of citrus, including oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and tangelos.
The nation would lose its market share of sugarcane, ending most domestic production and allowing foreign producers to dominate production to meet growing worldwide demand.
A Florida without farms would wreak havoc on our economy. Florida would lose $120 billion in annual economic impact from the loss of sales, business productivity, and personal income. As many as 2 million jobs that are supported by the agricultural industry would be lost or jeopardized.
Our landscape would be greatly altered. A majority of the 9.5 million acres of productive farmland would likely be available for new development or other uses, like landfills.
The vast open spaces that allow rainwater to refill underground aquifers would be paved over, disrupting the water cycle and threatening a major source of freshwater for millions of Floridians.
Florida would lose more than 40,000 family farms like mine, the average size of which is less than 200 acres. Generations of our family have created a legacy that would become a historical footnote. The skill to cultivate crops, developed through generations of farmers, would be lost as well.
Some have suggested that ending farming, particularly around the Everglades, would protect the environment. But in reality, it would be a boondoggle.
First, empty land doesn't necessarily equate to environmental protection, preservation and conservation of land. Farms are managed to keep the land healthy so crops can grow. Agriculture, compared to development and other land uses, has less impact to the neighboring land.
Second, South Florida farms actually contribute to restoration of the Everglades. Water leaving the sugar farms is cleaner than water pumped onto the farmland.
An excess of phosphorus, a nutrient found in nature and used in fertilizer, can disrupt the natural balance of plants in an ecosystem.
That's why, every year for 20 consecutive years, sugarcane farmers have reduced the amount of phosphorus in the water flowing from their land into the Everglades. Last year, phosphorus was cut by a record 79 percent, which is well beyond the state goal for reduction.
Third, the state of Florida doesn't have the money to buy and manage the farmland around the Everglades. If the land was purchased by the state, it would be taken off the property tax rolls, causing a significant cut in revenue for local communities.
Finally, efforts by the state during the last 15 years have revived America's Everglades. Florida has purchased nearly a quarter of a million acres of land and committed nearly 2.5 billion in projects to improve water quality and restore a more natural flow of water to the massive wetland.
In spite of these indisputable facts, some in the environmental community continue to portray farmers as the primary obstacle to Everglades restoration. Farmers have been, and will continue to be, an unwavering friend of the Everglades and an active participation in the restoration of the famed River of Grass.
Just imagine what life would be like without Florida's farms.

160705-b
Florida's dirty laundry is in view for all
Jacksonville.com - by Ron Littlepage
July 5, 2016
The world now knows how shabbily we in Florida have treated the precious gifts of nature we were given.
For several days running, news reports and headlines have exposed the state’s dirty secret of how we have fouled our own nest.
USA Today’s description of the St. Lucie River: “Thick toxic blooms that are ruining the river’s ecology, devastating water-related businesses and that could potentially cause health problems for those in contact with the water.”
An ABC News report: “Vile smelly algae as thick as pea soup clogs up Florida’s waterways.”
The New York Times: “Reeking, oozing algae closes South Florida beaches.”
National Public Radio: “Thick, putrid algae blooms overwhelm miles of Florida coastline.”
This disaster didn’t happen overnight.
We have chipped away and sometimes taken great chunks out of Florida’s environmental health in the pursuit of profits.
We drained much of the Everglades and disrupted the natural flow of water to create giant farms and to make room for development that should never have gone there.
We filled in wetlands and built [filtered word] and canals, thoroughly changing Florida’s natural plumbing system.
We pumped so much water out of the aquifer that our wonderful springs are no longer so wonderful.
Through it all, developers smiled, Big Ag smiled, industrialists smiled and elected officials smiled as big campaign checks came their way.
THE SOUTH FLORIDA IMPACT
Or at least elected officials smiled until a spotlight was shown on the algae that slimed well-known beaches and estuaries along South Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
It’s because this has taken place in a heavily promoted area popular with tourists that the national media have focused on this latest embarrassment for Florida.
But such embarrassments have been taking place for years in out-of-the-way places far from the Treasure Coast.
Damaging algae blooms are nothing new in parts of the St. Johns River around towns such as Welaka and Picolata.
The Georgia-Pacific paper mill owned by the powerful Koch brothers in another small town, Palatka, was granted permission by the state to dump its wastewater into the middle of the St. Johns after decades of using Rice Creek as the company’s sewer was no longer tenable.
Another Koch paper mill, this one in Perry, put 40 million gallons of polluted effluent a day into the Fenholloway River, turning it into the most polluted river in Florida.
The wastewater reached the Gulf of Mexico after flowing 26 miles and created a 10-square-mile dead zone in the Gulf.
Following its Palatka strategy, Georgia-Pacific is moving its effluent directly to the Gulf.
But in the Big Bend of Florida, there are no news helicopters documenting the damage being done.
If a complete picture were shown of what’s happening throughout the state, people would be appalled.
THE REAL CAUSES
How did we let this happen?
We elected representatives who were in the pockets of the profiteers and put them in charge of the government.
And we let them erase the strides that had been taken several decades ago to better protect the state’s natural resources.
And then we re-elected them, and when they moved on, we elected their clones, which is how we ended up with “thick, putrid algae blooms” and the attention of the world.
We have a governor who fights clean water rules, who did away with growth management laws, who wants to free businesses from all regulations and who pals around with Big Sugar and happily accepts their cash.
We have legislators who ignore the overwhelming vote of the people to spend money on environmental protection.
If we want to change Florida’s course, change them.
Related:           "Guacamole-thick" algae blooms invade Florida beaches      SurferToday

160705-d
Unsung hero in the fight to stop algae blooms
SunshineStateNews - by Nancy Smith
July 5, 2016
It seems odd to find heroes in the middle of a crisis that has no immediate solution. Heroes are supposed to sweep in and save the day -- and I don't believe anybody is going to be able to quick-fix the punishing fresh water releases from Lake Okeechobee. 
But I'd like to say a word for the dogged determination of state Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart. For a very long time, Harrell has done as much as anyone I know to get the attention of politicians and bureaucrats above or beyond her station to address the plight of the St. Lucie estuary. I believe she's moving the needle. In my book, she's a hero.
In a legislative delegation where Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart is king of the hill, it's easy to overlook the war Harrell fights behind the scenes.
Some in the House have told me there would have been no Legacy Florida had Harrell not persevered at the outset.
Legacy Florida, which the Legislature passed and the governor signed during the 2016 session, provides a dedicated funding source for the restoration of the Everglades and ending the releases from Lake Okeechobee. It flew through the process seamlessly, or so you might have thought. But it didn't happen all by itself. It followed literally dozens of meetings, many of which Harrell initiated, and many dozens of phone calls, emails, texts -- whatever it took to make sure the bill was right.
Unless you hibernated last winter, you'll know Legacy Florida was and is a very big deal.
Gayle Harrell last week, briefing Marco Rubio on the algae crisis in Martin and St. Lucie counties
Because of Legacy Florida, the Legislature will be required to appropriate a minimum 25 percent, or $200 million, for Everglades projects that implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), including the Central Everglades Planning Project, the Long-Term Plan and the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program. Important to note: Priority must be given to projects that will end the harmful release of water from Lake Okeechobee into the estuaries.
Throughout the legislative process, Harrell was too often left out of the limelight. Negron is the rising Senate president; it was his celebrity the cameras followed, and that's understandable. True, it doesn't matter who gets credit for a good and important bill as long as it passes -- and Negron and Harrell both live at Ground Zero for the algae crisis -- it still strikes me now as a little unfair that I've largely glided over Harrell's contribution without so much as a mention.
When Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio toured the miles upon miles of fetid algae blooms along shorelines in Martin and St. Lucie counties (though weather cut Nelson's tour short) Harrell spoke with each of them individually, stressing, "We need our federal partners to do their fair share of the 50-50 agreement for Everglades restoration."
She put in both senators' hands a copy of the letter she wrote to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- signed by herself and Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers, and state Sens. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, and Negron, urging the Corps to stop the releases. (See the letter in the attachment below.)
"We need a break --  two to three weeks to let the salt water back in to flush the algae out," she said.
Harrell emphasized to Nelson and Rubio -- and to the Corps -- that "one of the most impactful ways to bring immediately relief to our communities is to revisit the current Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS)."
Are engineers sure the lake can't hold another inch of water?
"Since it was last changed in 2008," Harrel said, "the people living in the immediate vicinity of Lake Okeechobee have benefited from tens of millions of dollars in upgrades to strengthen the integrity of the Herbert Hoover Dike. Such enhancements should allow for Lake Okeechobee to store more water during wet periods and to could help to reduce the need for discharges to occur."
All I'm saying is, Harrell is everywhere, whispering to anyone who needs to be concerned about lake discharges, the ruination of the rivers and the crippling impact algae blooms and a forbidding estuary have on the economy of the Treasure Coast.
Next time you see her, I'll bet it will be in connection with something she's doing to instruct on algae or push for attention on the issue. I'm telling you, Harrell is into it, even when she's out of sight. Legacy Florida aside, I truly believe she's having a positive effect on politicians and bureaucrats who don't want to focus.

160704-a
Encounters between gators, humans on the rise in Florida
Yahoo.com – by Leila Macor
July 4, 2016
Miami (AFP) - At a small outdoor amphitheater in the Florida swamp, about 50 tourists gawk at the spectacle center stage: a man placing his head between the massive jaws of an alligator.
Later, patrons at the Everglades Alligator Farm -- one of many Florida establishments featuring gator shows -- get a chance to cradle a baby gator, which is passed excitedly between sweaty hands, amid a barrage of selfies.
"My husband is a big fan of reptiles, so while we were in Florida, we simply had to make a stop at a wildlife reserve," said Emilia Armendariz, 34, a visitor from Ecuador.
Florida, famed for its sandy beaches, is almost as well known for its alligators, an iconic symbol of the swamp-filled southeastern US state that is the natural habitat for the fearsome reptiles.
Humans are not their favorite meal, but you wouldn't know that from the recent series of alarming gator attacks on people.
The most recent incident -- the death of a two-year-old boy in an attack last month at a Disney World resort in Orlando -- made headlines around the world.
The reptile snatched the child as he frolicked at the edge of a man-made lake, and his father was unable to free him from the animal's grip.
The toddler's body was recovered the next day.
Just days before, an gator was seen in the city of Lakeland in central Florida with a human body clenched between its teeth. A similar incident was reported about 200 miles (320 kilometers) away in Fort Lauderdale.
The incidents have been multiplying with alarming rapidity.
In another case last month, one of the giant reptiles reportedly bit a man's leg. In May, an alligator ripped the arm off a fugitive trying to escape the police.
- Vying for territory -
Ron Magill, spokesman for the Miami Zoo and animal behavior expert, says that humans and gators increasingly find themselves vying for the same territory.
"I think we're probably having more incidents between alligators and humans because there are more alligators, there are more humans, and humans are now building into alligator habitat," Magill told AFP.
By the 1970s, the alligator population in Florida had dwindled to just several thousand, and the reptiles were classified as an endangered species, Magill told AFP.
Today, thanks to conservation efforts, they number some 1.3 million.
At the same time, the human population has also increased, rising 7.8 percent between 2010 and 2015, according to the US Census Bureau, from 18.8 million to 20.3 million.
The human population growth has forced the reptiles to be more resourceful as their habitat is encroached upon.
"Alligators are learning to adapt. They are going to go into residential areas if there are lakes, man-made lakes, canals," Magill said.
"Alligators use the canals, lakes and bodies of water throughout Florida almost like a freeway system. They use that to go from one area to another."
- Golf gator -
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has warned residents of the increasing likelihood of close encounters with gators.
"Florida has experienced tremendous human population growth. Many residents seek waterfront homes, and increasingly participate in water-related activities," the FWS said in a statement.
"This can result in more frequent alligator-human interactions, and a greater potential for conflict."
Not all of these conflicts end in tragedy.
A gator recently became an Internet sensation when it took a casual stroll through a Florida golf course.
And it is quite a common phenomenon to hear about gators lounging in a family swimming pool.
"Just because you think that you have a fence around it, or that it's isolated on the golf course, or it's a man-made lake, that you aren't going to find alligators, that would be a big mistake," Magill said.
"Alligators travel quite a bit over land to go from one body of water to another body of water, especially after the breeding season, or during the breeding season, when the males are looking for females," he said.
The most dangerous periods are between April and June, when gators are looking to mate, and from June to August, when they are tending their nests and awaiting the emergence of their hatchlings.
A relatively safe place for gator encounters are the nature preserves like the Everglades Alligator Farm, which despite some of the performance aspects of its shows, promotes itself as an educational venture.
Jeremy Possman, manager of the Everglades Alligator Farm, told AFP that the staff hammers home the message that gators are dangerous animals.
They advise patrons to avoid fresh waters in Florida to limit the chance of a close encounter of the reptile kind.
"An alligator has a natural fear of men, and one of the first things that they always teach you is don't feed alligators," Possman said.
"What they need is to be respected for what they are, left alone, and if you have an alligator in your backyard, don't feed them."

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Foul water
Miami Herald – Letter by Richard Persson, Miami, FL
July 4, 2016
The St. Lucie River pollution could have been avoided if the proposed 44,000-acre reservoir in Palm Beach County had been built. The project was started several years ago and was stopped when the money set aside for the project was diverted.
If reservoirs had been built along the Caloosahatchee River and in Palm Beach County there would be somewhere to store this water. These reservoirs could be hunter and fisherman friendly.
I spent years dealing with the U.S. Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District as vice president of South Florida Anglers for Everglades Restoration. We did save the canals in the Everglades, but the reservoir projects were scrapped because of the lack of funds.
Taxpayers of the areas affected by the release of polluted water on both coasts should know that this could have been prevented.

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Toxic algae blooms infesting Florida beaches are putting a damper on 4th of July celebrations
ABCnews.go.com - by Eva Pilgrim and Avianne Tan
July 4, 2016
What officials have called "unprecedented" toxic algae blooms in some of southern Florida's beaches and waterways is creating a messy 4th of July holiday for those in the area.
Thousands of residents and tourists have had to cancel plans to celebrate on the area's usually packed beaches -- keeping the majority of celebrations inland.
The algae, which has been described as "vile"-smelling and "guacamole-thick," still remained in the waterways of Martin County this morning -- more than two weeks after the first reports of algae blooms came in.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in four counties.
Numerous beaches along Florida's Treasure Coast were closed last week, and though most have since reopened, officials told ABC News that they still do not recommend that people go in the water and that the beaches could be closed at any point.
Bathtub Beach in Martin County remained closed to swimmers this morning due to the presence of blue-green algae.
The toxic algae bloom invasions started more than two weeks ago after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Jacksonville, Florida dumped polluted water out of Lake Okeechobee to prevent flooding, according to officials.
"It has been a challenging year for south Florida,” the Corps' district commander, Col. Jason Kirk, explained in a statement. "Our water managers have dealt with such large quantities of rain and runoff entering the lake that it would cover the entire state of Delaware in two feet of water."
But after seeing the algae first-hand and getting numerous complaints from residents, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced on Thursday it would start reducing the amount of freshwater flowing from Lake Okeechobee.
Meanwhile, officials said they are now investigating if the toxic algae-infested waters are to blame for some reported infection. Some residents complained of headaches, respiratory issues and even rashes since the algae arrived.
People have been seen wearing masks and others told ABC News they bought air purifiers for their homes and businesses.
"I live on the water and I can’t even go out my back door. It smells vile," said Chris Palas, a mother who lives in Stuart, Florida -- one of the towns most affected by the algae.
Palas told ABC News that the stench has been making her whole family feel sick.
"The headaches, the sinus pressure is extreme," she said. "It is just an awful feeling. As a mom, I have a 5-year-old daughter and you just worry, how is this going to affect her long-term?"
Officials told ABC News that a clean-up plan has not been established yet, adding that they wish they had a quick solution but there isn't one.
Related:           'Vile' Smelling Algae as Thick as 'Pea Soup' Clogs Up Florida's Waterways
Video Shows Manatee Emerging From Algae-Covered Water
Toxic Algae Bloom Cancels Some Florida July 4th Celebrations
Smelly, 'Guacamole-Thick' Algae Invades Florida's Most Loved ...  ChristianNewsToday.com
Fort Myers Beach packed for holiday despite water issues   Fox 4

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Election 2016: Water debate running through August 30 primary
News-Press.com - by Betty Parker
July 3, 2016
Every local election seems to develop one or two key themes, but rarely does a single issue take on the kind of visceral role that water — specifically water from Lake Okeechobee released down the Caloosahatchee — plays this year.
Almost every challenger in the Aug. 30 primary cites water as the major, if not only, issue. Incumbents are on the defense, recounting their responses to the situation after historic weather events and the ugly effects of lake water pouring down the river to the bays, beaches and Gulf.
Algae blooms, muddy colors, fish kills — or no fish to catch, stinky beaches — the impact is too obvious, too often, and now too easily seen worldwide. The matter has moved beyond a few scientists worried about balancing salt and fresh water in the bays, although that’s still a concern.
Now workers in the tourism and hospitality industry, Southwest Florida economic mainstays, are worried. Real estate agents are worried. Residents and potential newcomers drawn to Southwest Florida’s water-full lifestyle are worried. Some are angry, and not just a few.
No one in or seeking elected office is surprised; there’s widespread agreement this is at the top of voter concerns. But whether it’s the only concern, or whether voters believe the people seeking their vote are adequately addressing the problem, is more debatable.
 “Trump and water. Those are the two things I hear about, everywhere I go,” said Chauncey Goss, a Sanibel councilman running for the congressional seat left open by Rep. Curt Clawson’s decision to not seek re-election. Lake discharges have affected Sanibel’s beaches and tourism; leaders there have been deeply involved in the issue for years.
Now Goss said he hears the same concern and anger everywhere as he campaigns throughout the Lee-Collier congressional district. Candidates and elected officials “are on notice the current situation is unacceptable,” said Goss, a Republican. “Everybody is upset about this. If the people don’t think you’re concerned about water, if they think you’re in the pocket of somebody else, they’re not going to vote for you.”
Single issues rarely are enough to decide a campaign, said Susan MacManus, a University of South Florida political science professor specializing in Florida politics. But combine a big single issue with any other weaknesses, and things can change.
“Environmental issues are bigger in your part of the state,” she said. “In coastal areas, Republicans tend to be well educated and affluent, very much pro-environment. They worry about their property values and their quality of life.”
And, she added, there’s a lot of anger among the electorate this year. “Starting with Congress, people feel like incumbents aren’t getting much done,” she said.
The incumbents also must deal with other issues, said Terry Miller, who consults for several Lee County legislators and other elected officials.
The lake discharges “are a big issue, but I hesitate to say it’s the only issue,” Miller said. “I think voters care about the whole package — jobs, the economy, schools, all the other things that are important.”
He suggests some challengers who stress the water issue above all are being urged on by “left-wing political organizations” trying to unseat incumbents. “They talk a lot about the problems, but they don’t provide much in the way of solutions,” he said. “Everybody says “send water south,” and that’s a catchy bumper sticker, but it’s not a practical solution.”
Jason Maughan, a Sanibel attorney opposing state Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, in the primary, says water is virtually the only issue. Most other matters connect with that, he said, such as jobs, tourism and the economy.
He’s running because of his distress over the discharge problems, and elected officials’ lack of action. “We’ve reached a tipping point,” he said. “We’ve gone from people being mildly concerned to being genuinely scared about their future here.”
Maughan believes more lake water should be able to go south. Most of the land needed for that, however, is owned by sugar and agriculture businesses. Gov. Charlie Crist announced a $1.75 billion deal to buy all of U.S. Sugar's land near the lake in 2008. The deal was later reduced to 72,800 acres for $536 million because of the recession. In 2010, the water district bought 26,800 acres. Last year the district nixed a plan to buy 46,800 acres, over the protests of environmentalists and others who still want the sugar land restored to Everglades.
Legislators, meanwhile, have focused more on projects north of the lake, and on storage basins to hold some of the excess lake water. They say those projects, already under way or on the verge of starting, have priority over new projects to the south.
Maughan thinks sugar exerts too much influence in that process — through the millions in campaign donations to legislators and other support — and elected officials won’t cross those who back them financially.
Benacquisto, meanwhile, earlier agreed with other legislators and stressed those other projects. But in early June, soon after Maughan entered the race, she wrote state water managers saying projects south of the lake should also be included, something of a break with other legislators who stressed storage and Kissimmee-area work.
It takes so long to plan and begin such projects, she said, that she believes they need to start now at least talking about moving water south. No business looks at a problem piece-by-piece, she said. The situation should be dealt with comprehensively, and that includes looking south of the lake.
Maughan thinks his entry in the race helped move her to that position. Even that change, he said, means he’s had an impact.
The senator pooh-poohed that idea, saying the timing was more about a water managers’ meeting to start the planning process. As for breaking with other area lawmakers, “sometimes they let me take the lead on some things,” she said.
Clawson is one of the few incumbents who’s won praise for advancing the water issue, including more emphasis on moving water south. But Clawson is leaving office, creating one of the few open seats.
Francis Rooney, is running for the United States House of Representatives 19th Congressional District (Photo: Special to The News-Press)
Along with Goss, Naples multimillionaire Francis Rooney and radio talk host Dan Bongino are in the GOP primary. Rooney said water is a major local priority for him, and he sees voters’ concern daily. Moving water south is a very complex issue, he said, and projects to the north, along with strengthening the dike around the lake, are also crucial. “If we could get the dike raised, we wouldn’t have to release so much water,” he said, adding that money is the main hurdle to that.
Bongino, who moved to Naples last month from the Stuart area, said he’s been going door-to-door, and water is the first issue mentioned. “If we don’t fix this, it’s not just an environmental disaster, it’s an economic disaster, and people know that.”
At some point, he said, water will have to be sent south. The problem is how to do that while respecting the agriculture industry’s property rights. “In the long run it will be in sugar’s best interests to come to the table and help with solutions,” he said.
In the meantime, he said, government has obviously failed to fix the problem.  What’s needed is someone who can show leadership, and get all parties working together. “I can get that done,” he said. “Right now everybody’s just kicking the can down the road.”
Lee County commissioners don’t get a pass either. Dick Anderson, a former planner and business executive opposing Commissioner Larry Kiker in the primary, said the board should be more involved with state and federal agencies to get discharge solutions under way.
He also thinks more water can and should be sent south, and it can be done without “demonizing” sugar and ag interests. Anderson has several ideas for doing that, including better use of state-owned lands that, all combined, have some impact in lessening releases into the river. With his background in planning and permitting, he said, he understands the issue and what needs to be done.
But asked why so little has been done so far, Anderson said “follow the money,” pointing to sugar’s political donations and support for incumbents. “When much is given, much is expected …There’s a lack of political will” to buck sugar’s preferences.
Kiker said he’s gone to Washington to lobby federal officials, and meets constantly to develop solutions. “I have a passion for clean water,” he said. “I’m there every time, advocating for clean water.” The county has also spent millions on water-related projects, he said.
When Kiker was elected four years ago, he ran against incumbent Ray Judah, a vocal and long-time critic of sugar and ag’s impact on the Everglades. Ag interests spent more than $500,000 attacking Judah in that election, and Kiker won the seat.
Judah had other issues as well, said Peter Bergerson, a Florida Gulf Coast University political science professor. He’d been in office about 20 years and some voters thought it was time for a change. He’d also been involved with controversial county projects.
A single issue may not be make or break,  Bergerson said, but if the incumbent has other weaknesses, that issue may be the final straw.
This year, however, water covers a host of issues, including tourism and the economy, Bergerson said.  “Now we have strong competing interests. We have sugar and agriculture vs. the tourism and hospitality industry,” he said. “And all the ads that sugar is running about the benefits they provide tell me that they are worried. Those ads are a red flag to me that they want to head off criticism.”
But generally, he said, incumbents have the advantage, regardless of any particular issue.
State Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers, has been a legislative leader in water issues, and has been on the receiving end of sugar and agriculture money. He doesn’t face opposition until November, but one opponent, Democrat John Scott, has already said he’ll focus on the water issue.
Caldwell has not been supportive of sending water south. At one point last spring, he labeled such suggestions “foolishness” on social media, saying other lake-related projects should be finished first.
He agrees that water is a major issue — although not the only one — and an easy place for challengers to score points. “When the water turns green and algae is everywhere, people can see that, and they want immediate results,” Caldwell said. “But it takes more than just opening a valve,” he said, adding that the problem was decades in the making.
Projects to offer relief are under way, and should be finished in a few years, he said.
Others wonder whether that’s enough, both time-wise and size-wise.
The other projects, including the C43 reservoir and work in the Kissimmee River basin, are good projects, Anderson said, but they’re not enough.
“We’ve been watching this happen again and again, and waiting for somebody to do something,” Maughan said. “It’s like they wait for it to go away and hope for the best, hope it doesn’t happen again. But it does, and it will, unless there are some big changes in the way we deal with this.”

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Restoring Everglades cuts risk of algae blooms
Palm Beach Post – Letter by Erik Eikenberg is the CEO of the Everglades Foundation
July 3, 2016
Our fellow Floridians living along Florida’s Treasure Coast, in Southwest Florida and in the Florida Keys are once again experiencing the devastating impact of the way water flows in Florida. It affects all of us.
Toxic, blue-green algae have formed in the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon. The algae blooms have led the state and local health departments to warn residents and tourists to stay out of the water and close local beaches. Folks with respiratory issues have also been encouraged to stay away from the polluted water. In the beautiful water of the Florida Keys, a massive seagrass die-off has decimated a prime fishing area of Florida Bay, producing strong odors and deteriorating water quality over more than 50,000 acres.
All of these unfortunate ecological and economic impacts result from the way the current water management system functions — something Everglades restoration is designed to fix. Restoration of the Everglades returns a more natural flow of freshwater from Lake Okeechobee south, where it will be stored, naturally cleansed and sent to the central Everglades, and ultimately to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay in the Florida Keys.
It makes all of us sick to see images of green sludge and dead seagrass in our waterways. For those living in the impacted areas, it is all too common to see these devastating images. People are upset and want action.
Storing significant water south of Lake Okeechobee is the solution to the water crisis. #SenditSouth.
A new state law now requires state agencies to prioritize Everglades restoration projects that will reduce the harmful discharges we are witnessing today. Although the solution to today’s problem is long-term, we must begin now to fundamentally change the way Florida stores and manages its water.
On this Independence Day, we must stand together to preserve America’s Everglades and ensure it remains part of our “America the Beautiful”.

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Army Corps change Lake O plans following State of Emergency
WINKnews.com
July 2, 2016
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla.- The Army Corps of Engineers says the water is at one of its highest levels in 10 years, at last check the lake sat at 14.94 Saturday night.
The Corps stands by the need to release water from the Lake to protect residents nearby from danger.
However, the conditions of the water on the East and West coast have prompted a change of plans for the Corps.
“Governor Scott’s emergency declaration gives the South Florida Water Management District the ability to reduce some of the flows coming into the lake.”, said Jacksonville District Commander Col. Jason Kirk.
Officials say this gives them more leeway to reduce flows coming out of Lake O, and into both the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers.
WINK News spoke with the Corps Friday Afternoon, who explained they use a system to determine when, and how much water to release from Lake O.
They follow the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS), developed in 2008. It dictates how much water should be released from the lake based on the water level.
The Corps says the levels right now suggest they release more water, but current conditions have played a major role in re-evaluating that.
John Campbell with the Army Corps of Engineers says their officers visited the East and West coast themselves this week, to assess the impact the water releases are having on both sides of the state.
“We felt compelled to take action, even though we need to remain vigilant in managing the level of Lake Okeechobee.”
The Corps also says fixing the aging Hoover Dike could still take 8 years to complete, so stopping the flows all together is unlikely.

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'Buy the Land' beach rally attracts thousands of people
WPTV.com - Gabrielle Sarann
July 2, 2016
STUART, Fla. - STUART, FLA.- A flyover Saturday morning on Stuart Beach sent a message to local and federal lawmakers: Solve the algae crisis in our waterways.
“Take it south!”
That was the chant from more than 1,500 people about Lake Okeechobee discharges.
They packed Stuart Beach this morning to make a formation saying “Buy the Land.” Demonstrators want the state to buy 50,000 acres of land in the Everglades Agricultural Area to store water from Lake O.
“What we want to do is have a conveyance,” said Mike Ramer, with Citizens for Clean Water, the group that organized the flyover. “A huge conveyance to let the water flow south the way Mother Nature intended it to so.”
Dad Randy Bubla and his family grew up on the water that’s now blanketed in blue-green algae
“I’ve spent my whole life in water and i don't trust it,” said Randy. His 7-year-old daughter, Arianette, doesn’t either. “It makes me mad that it's dirty,” said.
Jeanette Roberts came out to rally with her 11 year-old daughter, Jennifer.
“I’ve been very concerned about the water for a long time,” said Jeanette.
Jennifer added, “I can't go swimming in the beach anymore like i used to,” she said. “I can't go to Stuart Beach in my boat anymore.”
Sheriff William Snyder turned out to make sure the rally was peaceful. He had this to say about the oozing algae closing Martin County beaches.
“The condition of our estuary and the ocean is terrible,” said Snyder. “It affects all of us.”
Citizens for Clean Water has more rallies planned this month demanding clean water. They’ll be in Palm City, Stuart and downtown West Palm Beach.
Hillary Clinton released a statement Saturday for America State Director Simone Ward on the worsening bloom crisis in Florida.
"The toxic algae bloom affecting waterways, residents, and small businesses across Florida's Treasure Coast is deeply concerning. It's past time for Florida officials, including Governor Rick Scott, to stop gutting commonsense rules protecting Florida's public health and unparalleled natural resources.
"Hillary Clinton knows that clean air and clean water are basic rights of all Americans, and she will fight alongside local communities and businesses to protect our environment, including the Everglades, and protect families' health."

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Four lakes have blue-green algae warning
ChristianNewsToday.com - by Jennifer Kay and Terry Spencer of The Associated Press and supplemented by Miami Herald staff
July 2, 2016
“The state, as you know, doesn’t have any control over Lake Okeechobee”, Scott said this week, putting the blame, as he has in the past, on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for not building a stronger dike, so the lake’s water wouldn’t have to be pumped.
The Army Corps of Engineers has begun taking steps to reduce the thick, putrid algae that is fouling up Florida shorelines just as the summer is kicking off in earnest with the Fourth of July holiday.
The US army corps of engineers said it was put in an unenviable situation when choosing when to release water or not but Scott said he had little sympathy for what he called federal “inaction and negligence” and now wants the locks closed. Federal regulations, conservation mandates, and stalled projects have also complicated local efforts to direct more water south of the lake into the Everglades, the AP reports.
Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency for four counties Martin, St. Lucie, Lee, and Palm Beach.
The algae has rapidly grown from a beach nuisance to a health concern, as one customer made plans to leave early if the algae triggered breathing issues, said Gomes, whose family has owned the motel’s turquoise-colored cabins since 1958.
In a statement Wednesday, the Martin County Commission said it’s inviting the president to view deteriorating water conditions that local officials blame on freshwater being released from Lake Okeechobee. Rick Scott declared an emergency today because the water in the area, known locally as the “Treasure Coast”, is too polluted for swimming.
It will allow officials to take necessary measure and accelerate their activities to address the issue of toxic blue-green algae.
Algae blooms that started the previous week in St. Lucie River continue to spread and threaten Atlantic beaches.
The Tampa Bay Times took exception to Scott’s position in an editorial on Thursday.
Some residents blamed Scott instead on Thursday.
Had the Obama administration provided the “necessary funding”, the governor said in his executive order, “the Corps would not have been required to discharge approximately 30 billion gallons of flood waters from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers and estuaries”.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, toured the river Thursday and said the reduction of water flowing from the lake is a temporary solution to a long-term problem.
After decades of non-compliance, the federal Environmental Protection Agency six years ago stopped waiting and called for specific numeric limits on water pollutants from farmers, municipal wastewater and stormwater utilities operations, and other polluters of state waters. These counties, along with Lee County are all connected through various rivers, canals or estuaries to the state’s largest body of fresh water, Lake Okeechobee. The 1928 hurricane inspired the storm in Zora Neale Hurston’s novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God“.
“Stop letting the water into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee (rivers)”.

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Army Corps to reduce lake flows fueling Florida algae bloom
Associated Press
July 1, 2016
STUART, Fla. (AP) — As a noxious algae bloom fouls beaches on Florida’s Atlantic coast, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to reduce the flow of water from Lake Okeechobee that many blame for fueling the problem.
The Corps’ Jacksonville District planned to begin the reductions Friday, targeting the Caloosahatchee Estuary and the St. Lucie Estuary, a news release said.
The action comes after Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency over the problem, and as politicians and residents are blaming the federal government.
Multiple Florida lawmakers have asked federal authorities that oversee Lake Okeechobee to immediately stop freshwater releases that coastal communities blame for algae blooms and other environmental damage.
“I would describe them as guacamole-thick. And it stinks,” said Gabriella Ferraro, spokeswoman for Martin County.
Florida’s U.S. senators, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Bill Nelson, have joined Martin County commissioners in calling for the Army Corps of Engineers to stop the flow of water between the river and Lake Okeechobee. Residents and business owners blame the algae on pollutants streaming from the lake.
After touring the St. Lucie River as it passes through downtown Stuart, Nelson said the problems can be traced to Florida’s history of diverting water to the ocean.
“We need to repair 75 years of diking and draining, but that takes time,” he said. He called on Florida’s Legislature to spend money approved by state voters for environmental projects such as purchasing land around Lake Okeechobee for water storage instead of diverting the funds to pay for administrative costs.
Rubio is scheduled to visit the area Friday.
The blue-green algae is the latest contaminant featured in yearslong arguments over water flowing from Lake Okeechobee, which is critical to South Florida’s water supply and flood control systems.
At Central Marine boat docks in Stuart, pea-green and brown algae coated the water Thursday and smelled strongly like cow manure. Blooms that started last week in the St. Lucie River continue to spread, threatening Atlantic beaches expecting crowds of families for the holiday weekend.
Gov. Scott Declares State of Emergency in St. Lucie and Martin Counties Following Algal Blooms
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott issued Executive Order 16-155 declaring a state of emergency in Martin and St. Lucie Counties following the presence of algal blooms in local waterways. The Executive Order will allow state and local governmental agencies to take swift action to mitigate the spread of algal blooms in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries by redirecting the flow of water in and out of Lake Okeechobee. Governor Scott is also directing the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to take specific actions to address the issues caused by blooms.
Governor Rick Scott said, “Today, I am declaring a state of emergency in Martin and St. Lucie Counties to expedite water storage projects to alleviate the proliferation of algal blooms. The order also allows the South Florida Water Management District to reduce the flow of water into Lake Okeechobee through additional water storage projects. In addition to our Executive Order, I am calling on the federal government to speedily approve permits for our dispersed water management programs. I am also asking DEP and FWC to take actions to address the issues caused by algal blooms in South Florida waterways, including developing a hotline for residents to report algal blooms and deploying teams of additional staff to more rapidly survey and sample areas impacted by blooms.
“Florida’s waterways, wildlife and families have been severely impacted by the inaction and negligence of the federal government not making the needed repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike and Florida can no longer afford to wait. Because the Obama Administration has failed to act on this issue, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to discharge millions of gallons of water into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries resulting in the growth of blue-green algae which is now entering residential waterways in South Florida. Although the President has failed to do what is needed to address this growing issue, the State of Florida will devote every available resource to find solutions for the families and businesses in this area.”
Gov. Scott is directing DEP to take the following actions:
• Deploy teams of additional staff to more rapidly survey and sample areas impacted by algal blooms.
• Purchase On-Site Microsystin Testing Kits which allow field staff to perform faster, preliminary tests for toxins on site. These kits will provide information about the sampled algae more quickly and allow preliminary health advisories to be issued.
• Launch a Bloom Reporting Hotline. DEP will be establishing a hotline for citizens to call to report algal blooms, allowing staff to quickly respond to areas with a suspected bloom.
Gov. Scott is directing FWC to take the following action:
• Continue deploying FWC Research Institute staff to survey and sample any suspected blooms offshore. At this time, no offshore blooms have been confirmed.
Gov. Scott is directing the South Florida Water Management District take the following actions:
• Store additional water north of Lake Okeechobee in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.
• Work with state and community partners to explore every opportunity to increase water flowing south from Lake Okeechobee.
• Store additional water through dispersed water storage projects.
Florida has invested more than $688 million in Everglades restoration over the past five years and will continue to invest up to $200 million a year under the Legacy Florida bill which Governor Scott signed into law this year. The State of Florida has invested nearly $2 billion in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and $1.8 billion in providing clean water to the Everglades. To date, the federal government is $880 million behind in its share of CERP funding.
Senate President Andy Gardiner said, “We want to make sure our coastal communities know we are doing everything possible to help mitigate the environmental and resulting economic impacts of this algae. I applaud the Governor’s leadership and am grateful for his dedication to our environment.”
Speaker of the House Steve Crisafulli said, “I applaud Governor Scott for cutting through red tape in order to expedite the construction of crucial water storage projects in Martin County and St. Lucie County that the Legislature funded this Session. We know that storing water north, east, and west of Lake Okeechobee is the key to reducing damaging discharges. I am confident that the South Florida Water Management District will be able to bring these projects to fruition. It will take time, but thanks to Governor Scott and the District, we will not have to needlessly wait for relief.”
Senate President-Designate Joe Negron said, “I want to thank Governor Scott for recognizing the catastrophic impact this blue-green algae is having on our community. Our beaches and water are polluted and our way of life has been dramatically impacted. The Governor’s quick action today reflects his commitment to making certain our community has the resources we need to address this disaster as quickly as possible.”
June 29, 2016
STUART, Fla. (AP) -- County officials on Florida's Atlantic coast want the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the locks between Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River.
The Palm Beach Post reports the Martin County Commission decided at an emergency meeting Tuesday to ask state and federal authorities to declare a disaster where blue-green algae has closed beaches.
The corps releases water east and west of the lake to relieve pressure on its aging dike. Corps spokesman John Campbell says those discharges are likely to continue as the lake's water level has been rising.
Gov. Rick Scott said the federal government "has not done a good job so far" of directing water south of the lake instead of to the coasts.
State officials say specimens from the area show an "extremely low level of toxins."

160701-
‘Buy the land’ is back — but which politicians support it ?
TCPalm.com – by Eve Samples:
July 1, 2016
It emerged decades ago as a radical idea.
Buying land to reconnect the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee — a modern day version of the “River of Grass” — sounded like a far-fetched vision of tree-huggers.
Then, after former Gov. Charlie Crist was elected, it became his central policy proposal.
But the economy tanked, Crist left office and the idea was marginalized under Gov. Rick Scott.
Now it's back. In a big way. Toxic algae has a lot to do with that.
"Buy the land" has practically become a campaign slogan this election year. A growing number of Treasure Coast elected officials are publicly supporting acquiring land south of Lake Okeechobee to store, treat and move water to the Everglades. The strategy offers the greatest hope for stopping polluted lake discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers that have triggered blue-green algae blooms and attracted international attention.
More than 200 scientists last year signed a petition in favor of buying land south of Lake Okeechobee.
Politicians are now seeing the light. At the top of the list is state Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, who is in line be the next president of the Florida Senate.
"I am personally committed to purchasing land south of the lake," Negron said Wednesday at a standing-room-only meeting of the grassroots Rivers Coalition in Stuart.
Negron was less bullish on buying land south of Lake Okeechobee in 2013. The University of Florida Water Institute's 2015 study, funded by the state Senate at Negron's request, confirmed more land was needed.
Now, Negron is looking into the ideal location for buying land. Much of the land
in the Everglades Agricultural Area is owned by two giant sugar companies, U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals.
If Negron stays the course and makes buying the land a top priority during his two-year term as Senate president, it could be a game-changer.
Where do our other elected leaders stand ?
Gov. Rick Scott: NONCOMMITTAL
The governor repeatedly has dodged commitment on this issue. He has given no public indication he is willing to buy land south of Lake Okeechobee — and the remnants of Crist's deal to buy U.S. Sugar have been rejected by his appointees to the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sugar donated another $100,000 to Scott's "Let's Get to Work" political committee in June, bringing the company's total donations to $200,000 since October.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson: SUPPORTS
Sen. Nelson not only supports acquiring land south of Lake Okeechobee — he believes eminent domain should be used to do it. During a visit to survey the toxic algae in Stuart on Thursday, Nelson said "of course" he supports eminent domain.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio: DOES NOT SUPPORT
Two months ago, Rubio said he does not support buying more land south of Lake Okeechobee "at this time," saying it's not a "realistic proposal."
Rubio has been heavily backed by sugar company Florida Crystals during his political career.
U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter: SUPPORTS
Murphy, who is running for Rubio's seat in the U.S. Senate, believes voter-approved Amendment 1 money should be used south of Lake Okeechobee "to store and clean more water to provide relief to our local waterways," his spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.
State Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart: SUPPORTS
Harrell only recently became publicly vocal about buying land south of Lake Okeechobee.
"The key is that it must be the appropriate land that will facilitate moving water south to be stored and cleaned before it enters the Everglades National Park," Harrell said Thursday via email. She also supports buying land north of Lake Okeechobee to store water.
(Harrell's opponent in the general election, Democrat Crystal Lucas, also supports buying the land and, specifically, believes the state should exercise its remaining option to buy out U.S. Sugar.)
State Rep. MaryLynn Magar, R-Tequesta: SUPPORTS
Both Harrell and Magar are lining up behind Negron on this. Magar confirmed Thursday she is in favor of "buying appropriate land south of Lake Okeechobee to build water storage/treatment capacity to end the discharges from the lake."
(Magar's general-election opponent, Democrat Mary Higgins, also supports the land buy and called it "the only solution to the destruction of the lagoon.")
Rep. Larry Lee, D-Port St. Lucie: SUPPORTS
"I don't know when it's going to become more apparent," said Lee, who is unopposed this year. "We're at a state of crisis with this water situation, and that is one of the solutions that we can act on immediately." While he supports the land buy, he stopped short of Nelson's call for eminent domain to take the land.
What are we to make of this groundswell of support ?
First, watch the word "appropriate," which could be used as a way for some elected officials to wriggle out of their commitment.
Second, a deal is almost impossible if the governor doesn't get on board.

160701-c
Gov. Scott adds Lee to state of emergency over Lake O, flows slow
News-Press.com – by Ben Brasch and Chad Gillis
July 1, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott added Lee County to the state of emergency Thursday regarding water conditions in the Lake Okeechobee system.
Massive algal blooms have shut down swimming beaches and recreational areas in the St. Lucie area, the east coast recipient of lake releases.
Lee joins St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties on the emergency declaration.
State Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers; state Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers; and state Rep. Ray Rodriguez, R-Estero, sent a joint letter to Scott's office earlier in the day asking that Lee be added to the emergency declared for the east coast.
[See what our USA Today Network partners on the Treasure Coast have on the algal bloom.]
"State of emergency is about mitigating the immediate services," said Caldwell while on family vacation in Southwest Florida.
He said Lee being added to the state of emergency gives the county access to statewide, centralized services and allows staff to look at things in a different light.
"It’s fantastic news. We need to make sure that the west coast and east coast are viewed in tandem," he said. The east coast has some severe impacts occurring right now, but we need to be vigilant."
Benacquisto came to The News-Press office in Fort Myers for a video interview to talk about the importance of the issue earlier in the afternoon before the governor added Lee.
"We get two-thirds of the water that comes out of the lake now, and we can't stand anymore," she said in the video. "We can't tolerate excess water above what we're getting now."
In an after-hours news release, Benacquisto's office released this statement: "Gov. Scott showed by adding Lee County to the declaration that he understands the devastating effects that Lake Okeechobee releases are having on our river and estuary. Thanks to this declaration Lee County will have state resources such as increased and faster testing, a dedicated algae bloom hotline, and more focus on additional storage options, as well as an increased focus on finding near term solutions."
Benacquisto also added Rep. Dane Eagle, R-Cape Coral, also was instrumental in bringing this issue to Scott's attention.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday it will lower releases to the west and east coasts, going from 4,000 cubic feet of water here to about 3,000 cubic feet per second.
Water experts say the river and estuary can be harmed when the release rate hits 2,800 cubic feet per second.
"Governor Scott's emergency declaration gives the South Florida Water Management District the ability to reduce some of the flows coming into the lake," said Jason Kirk, with the Army Corps Jacksonville office, earlier in the day. "The decrease in flows coming into the lake allows us to lower flows going out of the lake. This should bring some degree of relief to the estuaries and allow salinities to recover." Salinity refers to the amount of salt in the water.
The Caloosahatchee River is used to release water from Lake Okeechobee. The St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee were connected to the lake about a century ago to drain the Everglades for development and farming, and both systems have shown signs of water quality degradation for several months.
East coast leaders earlier this week asked the Army Corps to stop releases to the St. Lucie, a move that caused some here to worry that the volume of water from Lake O would increase on this coast.
Efforts on Thursday to reach Benacquisto's opponent for the District 27 Senate seat, Jason Maughan, were unsuccessful. Maughan is making water his No. 1  issue in the campaign. A post on his Facebook page Wednesday night called out local legislators for not demanding protection for this area, and said: "The only sensible solution is to acquire land from the sugar interests in the Everglades Agricultural Area and send the water south."
Related:           A detailed look at how water will flow south            News-Press.com

160701-d
Miami is sinking, and we have to do something about it
MiamiAgentMagazine.com - by James McClister
July 2, 2016
I am worried about climate change, especially here in South Florida. And you should be too if you live here.
Experts have been painting a very ugly picture of Florida’s future if we don’t start to change now. The evidence is pretty damning – we helped fuel climate change. But we have the power to make things right, and it will certainly take more than just a village.
We now know that like New Orleans, South Florida is sinking at an alarming rate. And the problem is soft soil and erosion, not pollution. Miami continues to build gigantic condos, like New York, in an effort to keep up with the international Jones’. This effort has led to, dare I say it, more weight and less water drainage. Therefore, when it rains here, the city and most of the county floods. Miami Beach gets it the worst.
Now, officials thought about this problem long ago, which is why South Florida has a series of canals that channel water away from the city and into the Everglades. But I don’t think these guys way back at the beginning of the 20th century could have ever imagined the rate of growth here. Couple all of this with rising sea levels and Florida will be under water before I am dead (hopefully?). That is scary.
Nobody seems to be concerned here though. Not the politicians, not the developers, and certainly not all of the buyers. Should we as Realtors be worried? Or are we just concerned with making a buck and let everyone else worry about the future? I wonder. Realtors would be crazy to try and sell someone a house or condo and then tell them before closing that it will probably be under water in about 20 years. They would go out of business. But it is in my power to warn everyone now, and if they choose not to heed my advice then so be it. At least I gave ample warning.
So the ultimate question then is: How can we help?
My first inclination is to simply take the issue straight to our politicians, and if they don’t do anything then vote them out of office and install someone who does. In other words, find someone who cares and make it our platform. I am not naive enough to believe that all of my board dues go to schooling and use of the MLS system. Most of it actuality goes to our lobbyists in Washington. Did you know that? What if we told these lobbyists that we wanted someone in power that would do something about climate change? Imagine how powerful a message that would be.
The second thing we have to do is encourage and force these same city officials to install more and efficient means of public transportation. With that there would be less cars on the road emitting all of that carbon monoxide. Right now we have a Tri Rail that not too many people use and a Metro Rail that goes nowhere. Can we fix that please? Both or at least one of these has to go to downtown Fort Lauderdale, the beaches, and Miami Beach. I have met people who ride the Tri Rail from a city up north, like Deerfield, for instance, then take the Metro Rail to Miami, and then an Uber to Miami Beach. How ridiculous is that?! And as Realtors, we contribute to the problem by driving all of these buyers around day in and day out when it would be so much easier to simply look at a virtual tour and pick from there. Bottom line, if you can buy a house online then you should be able to look at it online too.
And finally, we simply just do not have enough green space. Developers build on any bare scrap of land they can find. I am seeing lots being built on now that have sat vacant for 20 years because there is nothing left. And these lots are turning into houses and town homes that nobody in their right mind would live in because they border shopping centers, major highways, and cow pastures. Yes, we have parks, but let’s be real, Miami and Miami Beach are urban jungles with a lot of tree lined streets. That is not enough. Take a look at the Everglades from above. It is being squeezed from every direction like Custer during his last stand. And we all know how that turned out.
You can add all of the drainage ditches and pipes in the world if you want to, but in the end that will only prolong the inevitable. Be proactive and do things the easier and cheaper way by adopting my call to arms instead.

160701-e
Reeking, oozing algae closes South Florida beaches
NY Times – by Les Neuhaus
July 1, 2016
STUART, Fla. — A rancid smell penetrated the front of Marisa and Duncan Baskin’s one-story house, which rests less than 100 feet from an inlet of the St. Lucie River in this tourist hamlet just inside the Atlantic coastline that bills itself as “America’s Happiest Seaside Town.”
But the Baskins — whose 22-month-old daughter, like Ms. Baskin, suffers from asthma — and their neighbors are not so happy these days. In the water of the inlet of their subdivision in Northriver Shores, an inch-thick layer of bubbling ooze and slime emits a stench so overwhelming that none of the neighbors go outside.
In fact, the Baskins were preparing Friday to stay with friends across town for the weekend just to get away from the green and blue algae bloom that has overtaken their small neighborhood marina, from which most neighbors have moved their boats.
“Our lives revolve around the water; we have a boat, surfboards, and there’s nothing really to do here without the water,” Ms. Baskin, 31, a lifelong resident of Stuart who works as a social worker at a local hospital, said Friday. “And I think our governor and local politicians are to blame. This isn’t the first time this has happened, but it’s definitely the worst.”
At play are many of the forces that define modern Florida: competing environmental, residential and agricultural interests, a failure by state officials to invest in managing the demands of growth, finger pointing between state and federal officials. The result has been an environmental nightmare playing out here, about 35 miles from the source of the problem in Lake Okeechobee.
There, an aging dike system forces the Army Corps of Engineers to release controlled discharges through channel locks east and west from the lake to protect nearby towns from flooding. However, those discharges, which carry pollutants from agricultural lands that flow into the lake from the north, pour into rivers and lagoons downstream, which eventually dump into the ocean. When too much polluted discharge from Okeechobee hits areas downstream like the St. Lucie River estuary in Stuart, for example, the blend of fresh and salt water creates giant phosphorescent plumes of algae, making the water unsafe for human and aquatic life alike.
This week, Gov. Rick Scott declared states of emergency in Martin, St. Lucie, Palm Beach and Lee Counties, and Senators Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and Marco Rubio, a Republican, both visited the scene, expressing concern.
The Corps of Engineers is dealing with a dike nearly 80 years old with structural problems. It was originally designed during a time when environmental preservation was not an issue. Engineers also have to balance the concerns of environmentalists with the need to safeguard area residents — more than eight million people are affected by the water system, according to a corps spokesman, John Campbell.
“We’re constantly having to balance the potential of an environmental impact from releasing water against the very real public safety hazard of containing the water and the hazard that poses by putting pressure on the dike itself,” Mr. Campbell said by telephone Thursday from Jacksonville, Fla. “The system is so constrained that everything that was low-hanging fruit has been done so far. We are left with few options or constraints to work with.”
He said the water levels the Army Corps gauges to determine how to react to discharges are between 12.5 feet and 15.5 feet. The lake is currently at 14.9 feet, roughly a foot higher than it was during the last crisis at the same time of year in 2013, Mr. Campbell said.
With hurricane season yet to come, the Army Corps still has to carefully determine how to release and plug the dikes. It takes roughly one month to release six inches of water from the lake, Mr. Campbell said, so if significant rains fell, the dike could have “performance issues” and the Army Corps would have to take precautions to prevent a disaster that would bring “widespread damage and problems, especially if the water goes south, which is where the water wants to go anyway.”
But residents along the coast are tired of the excuses. They say there is enough blame to go around at both the state and federal levels, with Big Agriculture playing a significant role.
 “Everybody’s known about this problem for years — that there’s a big algae bloom, and now it’s worse than 2013,” Richard Day, 51, who has lived in Stuart since 1973 and works as an auto mechanic at a downtown garage, said Friday. “I’ve got friends who captain boats and they’re moving south to Jupiter in Palm Beach County. It’s just sad.”
Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society, based in Stuart, said the state’s inability to close a deal to purchase thousands of acres of land south of Lake Okeechobee — to create a natural runoff from the lake into the Florida Everglades, where the diverse ecosystem could naturally filter toxins from the north — has been to blame for the problems being experienced by communities west and east of the lake like Stuart.
But the area south of the lake has been controlled by sugar farmers for decades, and environmentalists like Mr. Perry say state legislators in Tallahassee kowtow to agricultural lobbyists who fund their re-election campaigns.
“The flow used to go south to the Everglades, and now this is a man-made, criminal disaster,” Mr. Perry said. “They, as in the state and federal government, say they can’t send the water south, but they can. This is an absolute atrocity that they are allowed to continue this in the name of agriculture. This is the worst I’ve ever seen it.”
The 2016 sugar harvest was the longest on record because of rain delays, making it also one of the most profitable on record, resulting in 2.15 million tons of sugar. Under Mr. Scott, the board of the South Florida Water Management District failed in 2015 to carry out a plan to buy roughly 47,000 acres of land from U.S. Sugar south of Lake Okeechobee that would have acted as a reservoir for the lake’s runoff.
“The political leadership has not been putting the demand on the agencies to fix the problem,” Mr. Perry said. “This water was never meant to go east and west — it was meant to go south.”
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Here in Stuart, where the algae lapped up on area shorelines, keeping public beaches closed — a first in the area — Ms. Baskin and her daughter stood outside in their front yard, wincing at the smell. She said she and her husband were considering whether to sell the home they purchased just two years ago.
No one else was seen around the neighborhood.
“Normally there are kids outside playing,” she said. “But not right now — it’s a ghost town.”

160701-f
Seagrass die off due to hyper salinity
Keys Weekly - by Gabriel Sanchez
July 1, 2016
Officials say conservation projects need to move faster.
It started last summer during the drought and was only exacerbated by the continued blockage of freshwater flowing southward through the Everglades. A large section of seagrass (between 30,000 and 50,0000 acres affected) has died off in the Florida Bay, and things could be getting worse. “The expansion of algae overgrowth needs to be stopped,” says Steve Davis, staff ecologist with the Everglades Foundation.
On a recent tour of Florida Bay, and its affected basins, the Weekly observed firsthand the effects of the recent algae bloom prior to a public meeting on June 21 on the issue. Members of The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Florida Water Management District, the Florida House of Representatives, the Everglades Foundation, local officials, and Florida Bay Forever (a Monroe County based conservation group) were present to learn and discuss solutions.
The hypersalinity in the Florida Bay is a result of fresh water not being able to flow south through the Everglades. But the problem actually originates further north: dating back to the 1940s, a system of levees, dykes, and waterways have been constructed to redirect the overflowing waters of Lake Okeechobee’s south end for agricultural and construction projects. The draining of the Everglades started then and has continued, the only change being Floridians’ regained appreciation for our unique ecosystem.
Florida Bay is irrigated naturally by fresh water through two primary locations: Taylor slough and Shark River slough. Shark River slough has more volume, and dischargers into the western basin. The eastern basin, home to various mangrove regions, has seen a third of its usual freshwater flow, resulting in stagnant and salty water. “The die off originally began north of Whipray basin, but in the last two months has extended south,” says Xavier Figueredo, local captain and co-founder of Florida Bay Forever.
The result has been what experts are calling a “near catastrophic” seagrass die off, with the Rankin basin being the epicenter. Since the passing of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan of 2000, which allocated more than $8 billion to project restoring the Everglades, less than a third of the 68 scheduled projects have been completed, according to Florida Bay Forever.
“Right now there’s is a lot of attention, effort, and energy surrounding water storage, flow, and Lake Okeechobee. From my perspective, continuing the bridging of Tamiami trail (U.S. 41) is important and finishing the projects we’ve started,” said state Rep. Holly Raschein. “In the words of Adam Putnam, we need to have more ribbon cuttings and less ground breakings.”
The Army Corps of Engineers have finished construction on one of five bridges on the Tamiami trail designed to increase the flow of freshwater, and say the second bridge will be completed in three years. “The passing of the Florida Legacy Act during the last session was a step in the right direction,” said Raschein. “Over the next 10 years it devotes a minimum of $200 million just for Everglades restoration. It has goals in water management and land acquisitions, all of which work towards the number one goal −being restoration.”
There are things we can be doing right now to help the problem, however, says Bill Horn, former assistant secretary of the federal Fish and Wildlife (Department of Interior), and board member of Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. He said if the government is willing to relax the phosphorus standards, water flow from Lake Okeechobee could increase, thus helping salinity levels in the Everglades and also the Keys backcountry.
“One thing we can do short term is build more STAs (Stormwater Treatments Areas). They take water, store it, and work like sponges and get rid of the high levels of phosphorus. Water in Lake Okeechobee is loaded with phosphorus, causing the levels to be roughly 100 parts per billion. To be able to move that water south, it needs to be brought down to 10 parts per billion. With that being said, if the State and Federal government agreed to lower the standard, knowing it might have some adverse effects on Conservation area 1, I believe they could get some water down there to avoid the looming catastrophe.”
The hypersalinity problem in Rankin Basin is critical. How bad is it? Steve Davis, wetland ecologist, recently tested the water and discovered the levels were at 83 parts part thousand. To compare, he said, “So going back to the ’40s we don’t have records of salinity above 70 to 80 parts per thousands. So, in that regard, it’s a record. But then when we look at the paleo-record and try to piece together what salinity was like in the natural pre-drainage Florida Bay, it was nowhere near that level of hyper-salinity.”

160701-g
Sen. Rubio to see algae bloom firsthand Friday
WPBF.com
Julyl 1, 2016
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce water flow from Lake Okeechobee
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed Thursday to reduce the amount of water flowing from Lake Okeechobee beginning this weekend.
The Corps will begin a pulse release with a new target flow for the Caloosahatchee Estuary over seven days as measured at Moore Haven Lock (S-77) starting Friday.
The new target flow for the St. Lucie Estuary will be a seven-day average of 1,170 cubic feet per second as measured at St. Lucie Lock (S-80) near Stuart.
Additional runoff water from rain in the St. Lucie basin could result in flows that exceed the targets, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.
 “It has been a challenging year for south Florida,” Col. Jason Kirk, the Corps Jacksonville District commander, said.  “Our water managers have dealt with such large quantities of rain and runoff entering the lake that it would cover the entire state of Delaware in 2 feet of water.  However, after visiting with local elected officials in Martin County yesterday and viewing the algae firsthand, we felt compelled to take action even though we need to remain vigilant in managing the level of Lake Okeechobee.”
Officials have not confirmed whether the water flow is behind South Florida's algae blooms.
Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach and Lee counties after blue-green algae continued to spread throughout the county’s waterways.
+ NEW: Document: Executive Order 16-155, also known as state of emergency decree, issued by Governor Rick Scott
“Governor Scott’s emergency declaration gives the South Florida Water Management District the ability to reduce some of the flows coming into the lake,” Kirk said.  “The decrease in flows coming into the lake allows us to lower flows going out of the lake. This should bring some degree of relief to the estuaries and allow salinities to recover.”
The Corps will continue to monitor conditions and adjust flows as necessary. For more information on Lake Okeechobee, visit the Corps’ water management website.
Purpose of State of Emergency
According to the governor's press office, the state of emergency will allow state and local governmental agencies to take action to lessen the spread of algae blooms in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. Scott's declaration will redirect the flow of water in and out of Lake Okeechobee.
+Video: Manatee in algae-ridden water
Scott is also directing the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to take specific actions to address the issues caused by blue-green algae.
“Florida’s waterways, wildlife and families have been severely impacted by the inaction and negligence of the federal government not making the needed repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike and Florida can no longer afford to wait," Scott said in a news release. "Because the Obama Administration has failed to act on this issue, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to discharge millions of gallons of water into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, resulting in the growth of blue-green algae, which is now entering residential waterways in South Florida. Although the President has failed to do what is needed to address this growing issue, the State of Florida will devote every available resource to find solutions for the families and businesses in this area.”
DEP can take the following actions under Scott's declaration:
●  Send teams of staff to survey and sample areas impacted by algae blooms.
●  Buy microsystin testing kits that allow field staff to perform faster tests for toxins on site.
●  Launch a hotline to report algae bloom throughout South Florida.
FWC can take the following actions under Scott's declaration:
●  Send staff from the FWC Research Institute to survey and sample any suspected algae blooms offshore.
South Florida Water Management District can take the following actions under Scott's declaration:
●  Store additional water north of Lake Okeechobee in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.
●  Work with state and community partners to explore other opportunities to increase water flowing south from Lake Okeechobee.
●  Store additional water through dispersed water storage projects.
●  Store additional water through dispersed water storage projects
According to Scott's press office, Florida has invested more than $688 million in Everglades restoration over the past five years.
The state continues to invest up to $200 million a year under the Legacy Florida bill which Scott signed into law this year, officials said. The State of Florida has invested nearly $2 billion in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and $1.8 billion in providing clean water to the Everglades. The federal government is $880 million behind in its share of CERP funding, officials said.

160701-h
Why Florida's waterways are fouled with smelly green gunk
Associated Press – and by Erik Ortiz
July 1, 2016
A foul-smelling sludge with the consistency of thick guacamole has forced Florida officials to close some of the state's beaches — just before the Fourth of July weekend — as they race to stop the toxic algae bloom from choking local waterways.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday was set to begin reducing the flow of water from Lake Okeechobee — the largest freshwater lake in the state — that many blame for fueling the problem because of pollutants streaming from the site.
The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for monitoring the lake's water levels.
The fish-killing algae blooms have been prospering in the lake amid heavy rains and high temperatures in the area. While the blue-green gunk can appear naturally, it is fed by an excess of nutrients from fertilizer runoff and septic tanks.
The stench and unsightliness have gotten so out of hand along South Florida's Atlantic coast that the state declared emergencies for Lee, Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Martin counties this week.
"This is our Deep Water Horizon. It's time the federal and state government understand how God-awful the problem is here," Martin County Commissioner Doug Smith said at an emergency meeting Wednesday, according to the Palm Beach Post.
The state's U.S. senators, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Bill Nelson, have joined Martin County commissioners in calling for the Army Corps of Engineers to stop the flow of water between the St. Lucie River and Lake Okeechobee.
After touring the river as it passes through downtown Stuart, Nelson said the problems can be traced to Florida's history of diverting water to the ocean.
"We need to repair 75 years of diking and draining, but that takes time," he said.
He called on Florida's Legislature to spend money approved by state voters for environmental projects, such as purchasing land around Lake Okeechobee for water storage instead of diverting the funds to pay for administrative costs.
Rubio was scheduled to visit the area Friday.
At Central Marine boat docks in Stuart, pea-green and brown algae coated the water Thursday and smelled like cow manure. Blooms that started last week in the St. Lucie River continue to spread, threatening Atlantic beaches expecting crowds of families for the holiday weekend.
Some beaches were reopened, but others will remain closed until the threat to the shoreline is gone, local officials said.
Sarah Chaney, a receptionist at Central Marine, said boaters and fisherman are canceling reservations after seeing reports of the algae, which she called "horrible and disgusting."
While Gov. Rick Scott has blamed the federal government for neglecting repairs to Lake Okeechobee's aging dike, some residents have instead blamed him, saying he hasn't done enough to curb pollution from farms north of the lake or purchase land farther south where lake waters could be stored and cleaned.
State water managers have been working to direct more water south of the lake into the parched Everglades, but federal regulations, conservation mandates and stalled restoration projects complicate those efforts.
For residents in the affected areas, the blooms are ruining their quality of life.
Palm City couple Derek and Rachel Ottaviano have been renting a home for eight months — one that they would like to buy. But their pristine views along the river have been tainted, and now buying their rental home doesn't seem like a good idea, they told NBC affiliate WPTV.
"The reason that we live here — I don't get to appreciate that now," Rachel Ottaviano said. "There's just depression associated with it — and sadness — because it's just disappointing."

160701-i
6 Things you need to know about the 2016 Florida Water Bill
UF-IFAS -  by Mary Lusk
July 1, 2016
It’s Florida Water Bill Day !  A new water law becomes effective in Florida today, July 1, 2016. Most famously known as the “Water Bill,” this Florida legislation was 2 years in the making and has a little something for everyone, from Florida homeowners, to farmers, to developers, and environmentalists. Here are 6 key things you need to know about the 2016 Florida Water Bill.
1)  The bill creates the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act, which is aimed at protecting Florida springs fed by the Floridan Aquifer. The legislature finds that many of these springs are threatened by excessive groundwater withdrawals and by polluted runoff. The excessive groundwater withdrawals have to do with an ever-growing Florida population and the fact that we get most of our public supply water from groundwater. The state must now establish minimum flow levels (MFLs) for these springs. The MFLs set a limit at which further groundwater withdrawals would be harmful to the spring area ecology.  Polluted runoff into the springs comes from materials–mainly nutrients and pathogens–carried by stormwater to the spring headwaters. As stormwater runs over the land, it picks up all kinds of pollutants, like excess nutrients from fertilizers, bacteria from the dog waste not picked up and properly disposed of by dog owners, and oil droplets on parking lots and roads. Stormwater then delivers all those pollutants picked up along the way to water bodies across the state.
2)  Under the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act, a Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) must be established anytime a Florida Outstanding Spring (those with flows of at least 100 cubic feet per second) is found to be impaired by a given pollutant. The BMAP must outline priorities for identifying sources of the pollutant and taking corrective action. Specifically, this law requires any municipality within a Florida Outstanding Springs BMAP to adopt fertilizer ordinances and to begin a program of septic system remediation, a nod to the fact that improperly sited or poorly maintained septic systems are a leading contributor to water pollution. Further, no new septic systems will be allowed on lots smaller than 1 acre, and new agricultural operations in the area must agree to pollution-reducing best management practices (BMPs). This act is most noteworthy to rural residents who rely on septic systems to treat domestic wastewater, as the costs to make necessary remediations may be large.
3)  The 2016 Florida Water Bill codifies the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI). The CFWI is a collaborative water planning body authorized to pursue alternative water supply projects within areas of Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and Lake counties where there is restricted water supply. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is now mandated to adopt rules regarding permit reviews, conservation goals, and recovery strategies in the CFWI. This means the CFWI must adopt a single, multidistrict regional water supply plan, including needed recovery or prevention strategies and a list of water supply development or resource projects. While this work must be commenced by the end of this year, in reality, much of it has already been done and is found in the CFWI regional water supply plan.
4)  The law goes beyond emphasizing enrollment in the state agricultural BMP program by mandating a new emphasis on BMP implementation. Agricultural producers within BMAP areas will be required to enroll in BMP programs and provide documentation of BMP implementation, or they must set up a water quality monitoring program on their property.
5)  Water management districts are directed to promote expanded cost-share criteria for additional conservation practices, such as soil moisture sensors and other irrigation improvements, water-saving equipment, water-saving household fixtures and software technologies that can achieve verifiable water conservation. Look for new or expanded cost-share programs with an emphasis on water conservation tools and programs.
6)  Finally, the Water Bill puts expanded emphasis on South Florida ecology, specifically the detrimental conditions associated with excess water flows from Lake Okeechobee. While agricultural BMPs are already extensively in place for the watershed, the law now stipulates that where water quality problems are detected for nonagricultural nonpoint sources despite the appropriate implementation of adopted BMPs, FDEP and water management districts shall institute a reevaluation of practices so rules can be revised to require implementation of the modified practices within a reasonable time period. This has important implications for urban stormwater managers, who may find themselves in need of retrofitting urban stormwater infrastructure.

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