Lake Okeechobee

Dear Editor,

Unlike Blue Cypress Lake in Indian River County which fortunately is in good shape, Lake Okeechobee just south and west of us has been abused for many years and now is in serious trouble. Nutrient runoff from urban areas, sugarcane farms and other agricultural activities have degraded both ground and surface-water quality.

Lake Okeechobee, a Seminole word meaning “Big Water,” is the second largest fresh water lake in the U.S covering 681 square miles. The Big O, noted for it’s fine fishing, is important to the Everglades ecosystem, now being restored. But most important, the lake is the back-up water supply for residents and businesses up and down Florida’s east coast.

As pointed out in the March 29^th Press Journal editorial, the heavy pollution in the high waters must go out, in part, through the Indian River Lagoon to reach the ocean. This is bad news for the fishing industry and wildlife in our estuary, inlets and near shore.  Senator Ken Pruitt gets high praise for passing the initial 15-year Lake Okeechobee Protection Act in 2000. In this year’s session, the Florida House has just passed the Lake Okeechobee Protection Program 110-0, which also is good, but neither goes far enough. To be effective, these programs need to be funded. Too often we see representatives approve a plan, but then withhold the funds to carry it out. We hope Representatives Stan Mayfield and Gayle Harrell and both chambers will support our Senators and provide the much needed funding for the program during the budget conferences.

Pelican Island Audubon Society urges you to write to your Florida representatives urging them to approve the necessary funding to clean the water in Lake Okeechobee, and thereby assure that it doesn’t harm us and the animals and plants in our Indian River Lagoon.

Richard Baker, President of Pelican Island Audubon Society (Printed April 19, 2005)