A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN EFFECT
FOR PARTS OF FLORIDA AFFECTED
BY ANOTHER ROUND OF TOXIC ALGAE
BLOOMS.
THE SLUDGE HAS ONCE AGAIN
TURNED UP IN WATERWAYS ON BOTH
COASTS.
AND HERE'S HOW IT GOT THERE.
HEAVY RAIN LIKE WHAT WE HAVE
SEEN RECENTLY DUMPS INTO LAKE
OKEECHOBEE WHICH IS FILLED WITH
FERTILIZERS FROM FARLAND --
FROM FARMLAND. AND WATER IS
RELEASED INTO THE OCEAN AND
WHEN THE SUN HITS AT THE ALGAE
BLOOMS.
NORMALLY THE SALT WATER KILLS
IT BUT WITH SO MUCH RELEASED
THE SALT WATER DILUTES IT.
IT CANNOT BE SUSTAINED BY
THE SALT WATER COMING IN.
IF WE STOP THE DISCHARGES FOR A
LITTLE WHILE AND ALLOW THE TIDE
TO COME IN AND OUT IT WILL KILL
BACK THE ALGAE.
THAT IS WHAT THE ARMY CORPS
OF ENGINEERS AGREED TO DO TO
STOP THE DISCHARGES BY CLOSING
THE FLOODGATES BUT THAT WAS
ONLY TEMPORARY.
EARLIER THIS WEEK THE WHITE
HOUSE BACK TOWARD HIS EFFORT TO
SECURE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR
RESERVOIR INTENDING TO MOVE
WATER AWAY FROM OKEECHOBEE AND
REDUCE THE DISCHARGES. THE
FUNDING REQUEST FOR THE
EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA
RESERVOIR HEADS TO THE U.S.
SENATE.
SHANNON IS THE COO OF THE
EVERGLADES FOUNDATION INC.
YOU FOR JOINING US.
EXPLAIN TO THE VIEWERS THE
EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA
RESERVOIR SHOULD HELP ALLEVIATE
SOME OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING.
THE RESERVOIR IS LOCATED
SOUTH OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE AND
RIGHT NOW THE PRIMARY WAY OF
GETTING WATER OUT OF THE LAKE
IS EITHER TO THE EAST OR TO THE
WEST.
WE DON'T HAVE THE ENGINEERING
CAPACITY TO GET A LOT OF WATER
TO THE SOUTH.
EVEN THOUGH THAT'S THE WAY
WATER FLOWED.
IT FLOWED SOUTH INTO THE
EVERGLADES AND DOWN THE FLORIDA
BAY.
THE WAS OF OUR WHICH WILL BE
LOCATED SOUTH OF LAKE
OKEECHOBEE IS AN ENGINEERING
SOLUTION TO THAT PROBLEM.
IT SOLVES A NUMBER PROBLEMS.
IT REDUCES THE FLOWS OUT TO THE
CHEW ESTUARIES BUT IT ALSO
HELPS GET THAT WATER MOVING
SOUTH AGAIN.
NOW IT GOES TO THE SENATE
AND WHETHER OR NOT THAT FUNDING
WILL COME THROUGH BUT IT WILL
TAKE SEVERAL YEARS TO COMPLETE.
SO WHAT CAN BE DONE IN THE
MEANTIME?
NOT A LOT THAT CAN BE DONE
TO STOP AND ALGAE BLOOM ONCE IT
STARTS.
REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF NUTRIENT
POLLUTION IN THE WATERWAYS IS A
BIG PART OF THE SOLUTION.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THEY
NEED TO WORK ON.
THE WAY ALGAE WORKS IS A
THRIVES WHEN THERE'S EXCESS
NUTRIENTS AND POLLUTION IN
FRESHWATER.
WE HAVE AN ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT
BUFFET OF NUTRIENTS AND WATER
AND WHEN SUMMER COMES AND THE
CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT THE
NUTRIENTS WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THE EXCESS FOOD, IF YOU
WILL, AND BLAME.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ALGAE
AND BLOOM. RESIDENTS OR
VISITORS THINK IT SMELLS BAD
AND IT LOOKS BAD BUT TALK ABOUT
THE IMPACT ON WILDLIFE,
BUSINESS IMPACTS.
THE IMPACTS ARE DIRE.
RIGHT NOW WE ARE SEEING -- TO
GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, A BLOOM IN
THE COOLEST PATCHY RIVER.
RECENT WATER QUALITY SAMPLES
TAKEN, THE EPA SAYS THE
RECREATIONAL EXPOSURE LIMIT TO
THIS KIND OF ALGAE OF 10 AND
THE SAMPLES TAKEN ARE 1900.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THIS IS
A PART OF THE RIVER WHERE
PEOPLE ARE BOATING AND NORMALLY
WOULD BE FISHING.
BOAT RAMPS ARE THERE.
IT REALLY MAKES THE WATERWAY
NOT USABLE TO FOLKS WHO WANT TO
RECREATE.
I'VE SEEN THE HASHTAG NOW
WORN EVERGLADES.
WE TALK ABOUT WHAT CAN BE DONE.
IF NOTHING IS DONE INTO THE
FUTURE, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT?
WE ARE LOOKING AT
POTENTIALLY THE DEMISE OF THE
RIVER AND WE'VE KNOWN FOR A
LONG TIME THAT THE ECONOMIC
WELL-BEING OF THE REGION RELIES
ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF
EVERGLADES. IT'S WHERE WE GET
OUR DRINKING WATER.
IT'S A SOURCE OF FRESH WATER
FOR THE COASTAL FISHERIES.
70 SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY RELY
ON HEALTHY EVERGLADES.
THERE ISN'T AN ALTERNATIVE.
IF WE WANT A THRIVING SOUTH
FLORIDA, WE HAVE TO HAVE A
THRIVING EVERGLADES AND THERE'S
NO PLAN B. THE RESTORATION IS
THE CURE TO THE SICK
EVERGLADES.
THE ALGAE BLOOMS ARE SYMPTOM OF
A SICK ECOSYSTEM.
JUST LIKE IF YOU HAVE A YOUNG
CHILD AND THEY HAVE A FEVER, A
HIGH FEVER.
YOU KNOW THAT SOMETHING IS
CAUSING THE FEVER.
THE FEVER IS THE IMMEDIATE
CRISIS BUT THE CURE IS TO CURE
WHAT'S CAUSING THE FEVER.
THAT'S WHAT EVERGLADES
RESTORATION IS ABOUT.
THE RESERVOIR IS ONE OF THE
MOST CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF
REST -- OF THE EVERGLADES
RESTORATION.
IT'S IMPORTANT WE MOVE IT
FORWARD IF WE WANT THE ENTIRE
REGION TO BE SUSTAINABLE
OBVIOUSLY WE AS RESIDENTS OF
THE STATE OF FLORIDA ARE
CONCERNED. WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO
TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SENATE
TAKES ACTION?
THE GOOD NEWS IS IS THAT THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CLEARED
THE REPORT THIS WEEK SO IT IS
NOW CAPITOL HILL AND IS WAITING
TO BE PASSED AT THE WATER
RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT.
SO FOLKS WHO CARE ABOUT THIS
ISSUE CAN TAKE DIRECT ACTION BY
USING THEIR PHONE.
TEXT THE WORD WATER TO 52886.
THAT WILL SEND A MESSAGE TO THE
LEGISLATURE AND SENATE TO PASS
THE WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
ACT WHICH HAS THE RESERVOIR IN
IT.
THEY CLOSE THE FLOODGATES
AND THEN REOPEN THEM AND PEOPLE
MAKE AN EXCUSE WHY THEY NEED TO
DO IT.
THE WAY THE SYSTEM WAS
ENGINEERED DECADES AGO, EAST
AND WEST ESCAPE VALVES FOR THE
LAKE ARE THE ONLY WAY TO GET
WATER OUT OF THE LAKE.
THE HERBERT HOOVER DIKE WHICH
IS BUILT AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE
CAN ONLY BE SAFELY -- CAN ONLY
SAFELY HOLD WATER AT A CERTAIN
DEPTH. IN ORDER TO PROTECT
LIVES AND PROPERTY SOUTH
DOWNSTREAM THE CORE OF
ENGINEERS HAS TO MANAGE THE
WATER LEVELS IN THE SAFEWAY.
WE ARE LOOKING AT ANOTHER THREE
MONTHS OF THE WET SEASON.
IN THE EVENT WE GET A
HURRICANE, THE LAKE NEEDS TO BE
ABLE TO TAKE THE WATER THAT THE
UPSTREAM SENSE TO IT AND MOTHER
NATURE SENDS TO IT.
THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
DOES NOT HAVE AN OPTION AND
TELL WE BUILD NEW
INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE THIS
RESERVOIR, WE WILL CONTINUE --
THE CORE WILL CONTINUE TO SEND
THE WATER.
AND YOU MENTIONED THE
STRENGTH OF THE DIKE AROUND THE
LAKE.
THAT'S A MAJOR CONCERN IN
IMPROVING THAT AS WELL. IT'S A
MULTIPRONGED APPROACH.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS FULLY
FUNDED REHABBING THE HERBERT
HOOVER DIKE WHICH IS AGING.
THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT THAT DIKE IS SAFE FOR
THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE
DOWNSTREAM.
REINFORCING IT IS NOT A
SOLUTION TO THE ESTUARY PROBLEM
BECAUSE EVEN WHEN WE STRENGTHEN
THAT THERE'S A LIMIT TO HOW
MUCH WATER YOU CAN STACK AND IT
MAY HOLD MORE BUT IT STILL
NEEDS TO COME OUT AND FRANKLY
IF YOU HOLD TOO MUCH WATER IN
THE LAKE, YOU WILL KILL THE
LAKE.
AND THE LAKE IS AN IMPORTANT
FISHING VERY -- FISHERY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US.
WE WANT TO REMIND YOU THE
VIEWERS THAT THE TOXIC ALGAE
BLOOM AND 2016'S SPARKED A YEAR-
LONG CBS4 INVESTIGATION.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE
EVERGLADES WERE POLITICS RACE
AND MANY COLLIDES WATCH THE
DOCUMENTARY ON CBSMIAMINI.COM.