i cant stand how the government is messing up our ecosystems here in s florida. generations ago the everglades were drained for more land for people and agriculture (mainly citrus and sugarcane). the army corp of engineers dug many large canals crisscrossing the everglades to do this. only later on did we learn that this draining and the resulting drying up of the everglades was destroying a very unique and diverse ecosystem.

unfortunetly, in the next 50 years or so, the sugarcane industry has gotten way too powerful. as we are now trying to reverse all the damage we have done in the past and restore the natural flow of water to the everglades, this powerful lobbist group is the only thing stopping it. but how does something like this effect the people of south florida? in many ways:

1)the natural flow of water in central and south florida is through the kissimmee river basin to lake okeechobee and then south to the everglades, where it exits into florida bay. its a shame the only thing stopping this natural flow of water is the sugarcane farmlands to the south of lake okeechobee.

2)since the water cannot go south when it reaches lake okeechobee, the only way it can go is either east, west, or stay in the lake. now this may not seem like a bad idea but this has many bad effects.

3)water staying in the lake raises the lake level and puts pressure on the hoover dike, which protects communities like moore haven and cleweston from lake storm surge and other flooding. the more water in the lake means the greater chance of the dike failing. recent studies have suggested the dike has a 50% chance of failing in a major hurricane if the lake level gets above 18 ft above sea level. more water in the lake means the s florida water manangement releases BILLIONS of gallons into waterways headed east and west.

4)the majority of the released water flows down 2 river/canal systems, the caloosahatchee river and the st lucie canal. these large releases have devastating effects on the local ecosystems. this water is very high in pesticides, fertilizers, and nutrients. this causes large algea blooms which kill thousands of fish and other marine life. the large freshwater releases also have an even more devestating effect once it reaches the coast.

5)the brackish (salt and freshwater) ecosystems are very frail ones. they are at the whim of needing certain salinity levels in order for them to survive. instead of gradual releases, the water management district sends so much freshwater at once that it turns normally very salty water into almost all fresh. this kills valuable sea grasses and even more marine life.

now all this proves that it hurts the ecosystem but what about humans? red tide, a naturally occuring algea bloom causes respritory conditions, skin allergies, and other symptoms. naturally, this algea bloom occurs in small concentrations but combined with massive freshwater releases, it can effect hundreds of miles of coastline. the red tide also chokes off the oxygen in the water and kills even more marine life. this dead marine life often then washes onshore and the resulting smell drives away tourists and other beach goers in droves. considering that tourism is floridas #1 economy, this can have a very large impact. also many people in this area are in the charter/commercial fishing industry and this also effects their livelyhood. so as you can see it all has ties to poor water management.

solutions: there are many solutions which can decrease the stress these releases cause on the enviornment. however alot of them are not going to have a chance unless there is change with the agriculture industry here.

1)keep the lake at a lower level so if there is a storm or excess amount of water coming into the lake, it doesnt have to be released all at once. however, the sugarcane industry opposes this choice as they depend on the lake staying high so they can use the water to irrigate the crops during drier periods (like our winters, which are naturally dry).

2)send excess water south towards the everglades. once again big sugar opposes this idea also. the idea of flooding out their farms do not sit well with them, but they could care less about the consequences of too much water further downstream. efforts to buy out plots of land or to rotate flooding certain fields have met stiff resistance from the sugar lobbists.

3)create water resevoirs which can hold excess water during wet times and release it during drier periods. once again the sugar industry opposes this option as well. their reasoning behind this choice is 2 fold. they dont want to sell their valuable land for water storage and they want to keep the lake at a high level because it is cheaper and more convienent for their needs.


this mismanagement of valuable water resourses are criminal in nature. the population of florida is predicted to rise by several million in the next decade and all these people need water. local aquafers are already strained to the point that many peoples well have run dry. to send billions of water that can be put to use and just throw it away helps noone. this has to stop now and its up to people in s florida, esp if they appreciate the diverse wildlife here, to stand up and demand big sugar to do the right thing and stop destroying our way of life.