Tuesday, March 15, 2016 | Palm Beach Post
Robert Moher, Naples
Written By: ROBERT MOHER, NAPLES
Even if dike improvements were expedited, polluted-water discharges would occur. The fact is, lake water levels cannot be elevated very much beyond the current maximum depth without creating poorer water quality and an ecological crisis in Lake O.
The polluted discharges from Lake O and the surrounding watershed are not a new problem. The same situation unfolded in 2006, when the Caloosahatchee River was named one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the U.S.; and in the summer of 2013.
The water problems of South Florida are all about timing, and about quality and quantity of water flowing, or failing to flow, into our estuaries. As the Conservancy of Southwest Florida has advocated for more than a decade, this is a complex problem, and there are many pieces to the puzzle needed to solve it — at local, state and federal levels.
Pointing the finger at the “feds” and blaming them for failing to stop this ecological train wreck is hypocritical. Our state leaders should take action to address the pieces within their own control, such as honoring the voters’ will to use Amendment 1 funds to increase investments for water-resource protection, land acquisition and Everglades restoration.
Let’s see leadership. Every citizen impacted by dirty water in 2016 should demand accountability for solving the problem systematically and comprehensively. Let’s begin implementing meaningful solutions, including:
1. Buy land within the Everglades Agricultural Area to provide the additional conveyance, storage of at least 1 million acre-feet of water, and treatment needed to divert the harmful discharges away from the Caloosahatchee River;
2. Place $300 million of Amendment 1 dollars into funding the Florida Forever land-acquisition program;
3. Put meaningful regulatory reform in place for stopping pollution at its source, including measurable and enforceable water-quality standards for all upstream-flowing waters;
4. Dedicate $200 million a year for funding Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan projects at the state level through the Legacy Florida proposed bill.
There are other pieces of the puzzle to solving this water crisis, but this would be a good start. Florida’s economy, natural beauty and quality of life are inextricably linked to how we manage our water resources.
Let’s stop the ripple effect from these polluted waters and demand leadership that does not seek to assign blame but seeks to lead all of the partners toward lasting solutions.
ROBERT MOHER, NAPLES
Editor’s note: Robert Moher is president and CEO of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.