Amid concerns about the high water level, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District will increase the amount of water discharged from Lake Okeechobee beginning Friday.
Floridians (as well as residents of other Gulf states) are terrified. Myself included (I, Erin Elizabeth, am on the coast in Volusia County). But who exactly is to blame? Well, big sugar, big agriculture (factory farming) big oil, and the Army Corp of engineers are blaming the state. It’s all about govt agencies pointing fingers. Read this, but watch the video below. This should have been remedied decades ago when man started messing with mother nature and diverting water in the name of money.
Beaches are closed from Sarasota along SW Florida. As the video below says from local news, in some places residents cannot even go outside!
But the SE coast wasn’t spared either. Martin County beaches are closed by Stuart. I feel for everyone and wonder if we too will be affected here on the coast in NE Fla.
Jacksonville District Commander, Col. Jason Kirk said in a news release,
“With continued paramount focus on Herbert Hoover Dike safety throughout 2018, we need to make increased discharges to slow the still dangerous rise in lake levels. In concert with the South Florida Water Management District, we continue to maximize storage north and south of the lake to minimize the requirement for discharges.”
As of Friday, the lake stage is was at 14.57 feet, which is above what it was when Hurricane Irma swept through the area in September 2017. Officials are worried that a similar storm could cause the lake to swell to a dangerous level, much like it did last year.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW!!!
The St. Lucie average flow will increase by 330 cubic feet per second to a 1,500 cfs pulse. The 14-day average from Moore Haven Lock & Dam will be 2,000 cfs. These flows are still below the level allowed by the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule.
Officials said they will continue to monitor conditions on the lake and adjust the flows as necessary.
Many are also concerned about how these discharges could be spreading blue-green algae to nearby canals and rivers. (Some already appeared destroyed with thousands of marine life washed up dead on the shores). To read more about the epidemic that is now affecting far more than Florida- go here https://healthnutnews.com/?s=algae
We’re thinking of SW Florida especially which is totally devastated. We personally interviewed folks on video who just bought there and now cannot even go outside their house. They cannot sell and may end up in foreclosure. Developers (and some of our readers state that even real estate agents) are telling them it’ll be fine in a week or two. The problem is, that was months ago. 🙁
