Who will win this battle for clean water?
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, has proposed lowering the water level of Lake Okeechobee to 10.5 feet above sea level during the early summer rainy season. The proposal seeks to lessen the harmful discharges that have created toxic algae blooms in Martin County to the lake’s east and Lee County to the west.
South Florida officials believe this proposal is “horribly dangerous,” as Broward Commissioner Steve Geller put it.
The lake serves as South Florida’s backup water supply. They fear even a short-term lowering of the lake from the current recommended range of 12.5 to 15.5 feet would create a host of problems, including well field damage, inability to deliver fresh water, crop destruction and restrictions on water use.
Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay called the proposal a “complete disregard for Palm Beach County and our water resources here.”
“What’s being proposed now will impact 6 million residents,” the population of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, she said. “We’re cleaning up our mess, and the last thing I want to have happen in this county is we have to clean up someone else’s mess because their local community won’t clean it up.”
But a Mast spokesman said county officials are fomenting panic while Mast is taking a reasoned approach.
“Every few years, the ecology of the lake benefits from a temporary reduction in lake levels below 11 feet,” deputy chief of staff Brad Stewart said in an email. “This year a 10.5 foot lake level at the end of dry season [approximately May 15 to June 1, 2019] would be a win-win: It would likely prevent devastating discharges to the estuaries — with associated benefits to public health, the economy and the environment — while also benefiting the ecology of the lake.”
The lake serves as a backup water supply to South Florida’s cities, which mostly depend on underground aquifers, in case of drought.
In 2011, the lake dipped below 10 feet, forcing water restrictions in West Palm Beach and the town of Palm Beach.
Mast’s recommendation arrives as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is taking a new look at Lake Okeechobee’s water levels, part of a review of its 2008 lake operating manual. The analysis isn’t expected to be completed until 2022.