Jay O’Laughlin, Ph.D.
At a recent meeting of the Rivers Coalition, Guardians Board member and principal water policy analyst, Jay O’Laughlin, Ph.D., outlined a Guardians plan to reduce Lake Okeechobee discharges by more than 90% rather than the 55% suggested by the South Florida Water Management District.
Titled “EAA Reservoir Needs Redesign to Minimize Harmful Lake Okeechobee Discharges,” the presentation focuses on the need for more land adjacent to the reservoir to clean pollution from the Lake O water before it is sent south to a new reservoir. Currently, the polluted freshwater triggers ecological, economic and public health problems in the St Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.
More than 35,000 acres of additional land are needed for this project to meet the goals set out for it in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration
Algae bloom in
Lake Okeechobee
July 2016
Plan. The law passed by the Florida Legislature and signed by the Governor in 2017 prohibits the state from exercising the power of eminent domain to condemn and acquire private land for public purposes at a fair market value. Rather the law calls for sugar producers who own the most desirable parcels to exchange land for other state-owned land. So far, that has not happened and is not likely to.
Fortunately, the state owns 64,000 acres adjacent to the planned reservoir site. Currently designated as wildlife management areas, these WMAs could be repurposed to include water quality treatment, thereby eliminating the need for more than 90% of the historic discharges to the northern estuaries. This plan would also give the Everglades and Florida Bay the freshwater they need to stem ecological damages there.
Reaction to the proposal was mixed. Some attendees at the Rivers Coalition liked this idea. However, several vocal critics are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep these WMAs the way they are. Some even threatened to sue the state if such changes are proposed. These people were adamant that the sugar producers should be forced to clean the polluted water coming off their lands.
Other members of the Rivers Coalition were stunned by the unwillingness of some to trade these WMA’s at the southern edge of the EAA for WMA’s elsewhere as called for in the Guardians proposal.
Leaders of the Rivers Coalition will meet soon to hammer out a position on what should be done about this situation. The Guardians believe that reducing the discharges as much as possible is crucial for the health of the St. Lucie River, Estuary and Indian River Lagoon. Placing all the blame on sugar producers will simply prolong the collateral damage from Lake O discharges and continue to erode the quality of life in Martin County. Compromise seems to be a lost art in today’s world, but only a workable solution such as the one suggested in the Guardians position statement can create real change.
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Download “Time to Talk About Third Rail in Everglades Restoration” Guest Commentary by Jay O’Laughlin, Ph.D.
https://theguardiansofmartincounty.com/stuart-news-guest-column-lets-discuss-third-rail-everglades-restoration/
Download Guardians position statement “EAA Reservoir Needs Redesign to Minimize Harmful Lake Okeechobee Discharges” Feb. 14, 2018
Read the position statement here.
View PDF of slides used in special presentation of Guardians position statement to Rivers Coalition by Jay O’Laughlin, Ph.D. http://riverscoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/JayOLaughlin_2-21-2018.pdf
View video of Rivers Coalition Meeting with special presentation by Jay O’Laughlin, Ph.D.
https://youtu.be/V0W0HCYL2l4