Point of View: Manage Lake O for the benefit of us all

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment recently examined the consequences of maintaining high water levels in Lake Okeechobee during the dry season, a practice designed to ensure water supply for agricultural irrigation but that has had devastating consequences throughout the rest of the system.

This "hoarding” of water in the lake results in less water being sent south to the Everglades, Florida Bay and the Caloosahatchee River, which often face severe droughts just months later. The lack of water causes the health of these systems to deteriorate, even as we spend billions on their restoration.

Some claim the status quo protects our drinking water, but the best way to keep water flowing through the taps of the nearly 9 million south Floridians who rely on the Everglades for their water supply is to keep water moving south during the dry months. This is because most south Floridians get their drinking water from wellfields that are recharged by the flow of water through the Everglades. Even local governments like West Palm Beach that have historically relied on Lake Okeechobee as a backup water supply have taken significant measures to “drought-proof” their systems and reduce their reliance on the lake.

With the status quo, when rains begin early and agricultural interests do not need the water that has been stored for them, the lake becomes vulnerable to the wet season deluges that follow. To avoid floods, massive discharges of often toxic water are sent to our estuaries, causing algae blooms that devastate economies and threaten public health. Thankfully, the United States Army Corps of Engineers is revising the rules that govern management of Lake Okeechobee, providing an opportunity for a more balanced approach that can prevent these harms and provide benefits throughout south Florida.

By allowing more water to move south earlier in the dry season, Everglades soils will stay wet, reducing soil loss and carbon emissions through oxidation and fire. Aquifer resilience will increase, enhancing the water supply for Palm Beach Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. The lake can be maintained at healthier levels and flood risk and harmful discharges to the estuaries can both be reduced.  While some argue that agricultural interests need more water, the Natural Resources Conservation Service reviewed decades of water supply and crop yield data, finding only one year, 1982, when there was a significant shortage of water for irrigation.

During last week’s Congressional hearing, each of the expert witnesses was asked if they believed that Lake Okeechobee’s current management was acceptable.  The Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Chair of the South Florida Water Management District, a Florida Keys fishing guide and the Chief Operating Officer of the Everglades Foundation each replied in the negative.  The sole voice in favor of the status quo was the Florida Farm Bureau representative, who spoke for the agricultural interests around the lake. We know the current system is working for them.  It’s just not working for anyone else. The time has come to manage Lake Okeechobee for the benefit of all, not just a few. 

LISA INTERLANDI, WEST PALM BEACH

Editor's note: Interlandi is executive director of the Everglades Law Center.