Environmental advocates in Florida are working to improve water quality in a waterway they assert is heavily polluted.
The Fort Meyers News-Press reports that residents of Southwest Florida have grown increasingly worried about water quality in the Caloosahatchee River and its estuary. The South Florida Water Management District recommended last month that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers not release fresh water from Lake Okeechobee to the river, underscoring the seriousness of the problem.
A lack of freshwater from the lake raises salt concentrations, however, and can spur the growth of toxic blue green algae blooms, according to Lee County officials. Kurt Harclerode, the operations manager for Lee County's Division of Natural Resources, said that he planned to ask the district to release roughly 300 cubic feet per second of water, a figure he said would improve overall water quality.
"We're not asking for the world," he said. "Three hundred would keep the flow moving through the system. We expect it to get dry before the wet season. The demand for water for crops are [sic] high, but everybody needs water. All we want is that little bit to get us through dry season."
However, large swaths of the county are currently experiencing record drought conditions, and experts are worried that such factors could hurt cleanup efforts in the river. Moreover, environmental watchers are concerned that blue green algae blooms will continue to spread in the waterway, as algae removal efforts are scaled back because of budgetary concerns.
Lake Okeechobee serves as one of the most significant sources of water in South Florida, according to the news provider. As a result, advocates are concerned that public officials are not addressing problems facing the waterway. They noted that officials have allowed agriculture to tap into the river for water, which they said was unfair.
For their part, officials said they are largely limited in their ability to effectively address concerns from all major groups. They said that they are working to develop a comprehensive strategy that would enable them to do so, but they are struggling to find a middle ground between farmers and clean water advocates.
"The South Florida Water Management District considers protection and improvement of the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary an agency priority. We continue working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to optimize water management strategies that may provide incremental improvements for Lake Okeechobee and its downstream estuaries," according to a statement from the water district.
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