Story by Jon Shainman, WPTV
Three Treasure Coast lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, are calling on the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) to permanently end discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the St Lucie Estuary.
“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.”
State Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, and State Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Palm City, joined Mast in the call to permanently end the discharges
Photo: Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
April 3, 2021
from Lake Okeechobee.
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, a member of the South Florida Water Management Governing Board, also weighs in after blue green algae was spotted near the St Lucie Lock. She has been monitoring area waterways since the discharges began on March 6, 2021.
“There are dark areas, and there are blue areas, but it’s not horrible. You can still see transparently through the water, and that’s the important thing,” Thurlow-Lippisch said.
However, she tells WPTV that she cannot recall seeing algae this early in the year.
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