By Brian Mudd
Q&A Of The Day – Part 3 Who’s Responsible For Florida’s Polluted Waterways?
Bottom Line: Currently The Army Corps of Engineers is considering five different plans for handling future discharges from Lake Okeechobee after repeated demands from the state and pressure from federal officials, namely Congressman Brian Mast. According to Mast the plans would do the following:
AA: Sends 135,000 acre feet per year south
BB: Sends 92,000 acre feet per year south
CC: Sends 162,000 acre feet per year south
DD: Sends 90,000 acre feet per year south
EE: Unknown
None of the plans would completely end east-west discharges, though they could reduce them by up to 95%. The hope is that the eventual construction of the EAA reservoir, and possibly a northern one, would be able to account for the remaining excess water in the Lake eventually ending the discharges. With plan “CC” sending the most water south through the Everglades, Mast supports that plan and is advocating for its acceptance. So, if you care about Florida’s waterways, the Everglades and even our drinking water the path forward is this, in this order: