ways in the counties reaching over to the ever- glades, is highly poisonous. Some of that is peo- ple’s drinking water, which is already compromised and running low.
agricultural chemicals in our waterways, Lake Okeechobee is especially important for storage and filtration. This happens before the water goes out to the surrounding waterways, the ocean and into the aquifer via the Everglades. The Ever- glades and all the previous steps of filtration are crucial, since this aquifer is where most of south Florida gets it’s drinking water. But the Ever- glades are endangered as well. The Army Corps of Engineers releases the
overflow from Lake Okeechobee when high water levels threaten flooding of developments that should not have been permitted in these flood- prone areas. This release of lake water causes a major shit storm in south Florida . This is a basic summary.
1. The toxic load in Lake Okeechobee is too great. It includes the agricultural runoff from Florida Sugar, citrus and other agriculture. I have also read that The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conserva- tion Commission is using more toxic glyphosate (Roundup) to kill invasive plants in the lake.
Some people are trying to convince us that
the naturally occurring Red Tide, which happens as a result of warm waters and algal blooms, is to blame. When the algae gets so thick, it will turn the water red and deplete the oxygen in the water. Red Tide kills plant and animal life which lives in the ocean and then the animals that need to eat them. Red Tide usually occurs during the sum- mer and lasts only a few days. This Red Tide has lasted for 11 months! That is not normal. According to the NOAA, the past six years
have been the hottest in history. Now, add the warmer waters and air temperatures from global warming, agricultural runoff of pesticides and fertilizers used in production of sugar and citrus, and you’ve got a disaster we have not seen before. We have no current fix for this disaster, but there are possible solutions. Their implementation just has to be a priority. Let me explain how this all works. Lake
Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in Florida and ninth largest freshwater lake in the United States. It spans five counties and covers 730 square miles. The lake filters all the water from the tributaries that flow into it from the southern portion of Florida. Because of the toxic
2. Florida Sugar is the major contributor to the toxic load, using glyphosate and fertilizers. It uses the lake for its’ own source of recirculated fertil- ized water, which makes it more and more toxic until it cannot be used any longer. Guess what they do with it then...
3. The lands surrounding Lake Okeechobee, pre- viously used for water filtration, have been over- developed and cannot filter the water overflow or protect the waterways from toxic runoff. Toxic runoff from humans includes leaking sewer lines, gas and oil from cars, fertilizers and weed killers, etc.
4. The voters of Florida demanded that the lands previously used for water filtration be protected and preserved, but money talks and that mandate has not happened. So, what you get is 130 miles of dead zone on the west coast of Florida. These numbers are rising and will continue to rise greatly with the planned second release of toxic Lake Okeechobee water in the next weeks.
The released water also reaches to the east coast, but so far there are not the clear reports of devas- tation we are seeing on the west coast.
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