Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River will end Saturday and be reduced to the Caloosahatchee River, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday.
The reason for that decision is lack of rainfall and a quickly receding lake not traces of low-toxic algae seen at the Port Mayaca and St. Lucie floodgates last week, according to Col. Andrew Kelly, the Corp s Florida commander. The short answer is no, Kelly said when TCPalm asked whether algae was a factor in the Corps decision. It was not about algae, it was all about lake recession.
Having receded about a foot since discharges began 34 days ago, the lake s level was about 14 feet, 2 inches Friday. That still isn t as low as the Corps typically wants it to be to make room for heavy summer rains historically 12½ feet by June 1.
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“The Army Corps has determined that discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie are unnecessary for flood control and that eliminating these discharges can actually be beneficial to water supply, the environment and more,” Mast said. “The Army Corps must not settle for incremental progress but rather should take the bold action needed to protect Floridians and stop government-sanctioned poisoning.”
The modeling presented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and
South Florida Water Management District over the last several months proves that it is possible to eliminate discharges in the operational band while also benefiting performance for water supply and the other Congressionally-authorized project purposes.
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Newly elected members of the Florida Senate take the oath of office in the Senate chamber on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, at the Capitol in Tallahassee. New Miami-Dade Senator Ileana Garcia is at the far left.
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Senate on Wednesday backed starting to pay for critical repairs of a reservoir at a troubled former phosphate plant in Manatee County and bumped up proposed spending on affordable housing.
The Senate made the decisions as it approved an initial $95 billion budget plan for the fiscal year that will start July 1. But the plan is considered only a starting point for negotiations with the House, which has offered a $97 billion proposal.
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast calls on Army Corps to permanently end Lake Okeechobee discharges
Lawmakers says water releases unnecessary for flood control
Jon Shainman, WPTV
Posted at 2:51 PM, Apr 05, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-05 17:00:32-04
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. â Blue-green algae was detected near the St. Lucie Lock last week, prompting a
South Florida s rainy season is still a few months away, and many are wondering if this could be an ominous precursor for the upcoming summer.
Lawmakers including U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday to eliminate freshwater discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie Estuary.