Officials tout federal funding for Everglades restoration projects
While a request from six area mayors to change the discharge schedule from Lake Okeechobee has been rejected, water quality legislation has advanced through the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
Water quality issues remain a highly prioritized topic in the Sunshine State as months of harmful algae-blooms and red tide events fed by the nutrient-ladden discharges have rocked Lee County’s beach and waterfront communities.
Funding for mitigation projects remains key.
A first component is the 2018 America’s Water Infrastructure Act, authorizing the Everglades reservoir, passed by the House.
That bill has advanced to the Senate for its consideration.
Next, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA)-the authorization that allows the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct projects improving water infrastructure-has been approved by the Senate and will be sent to the President’s desk.
“Passage of WRDA is an important step in finally advancing the 68 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects that have been previously approved,” said Congressman Francis Rooney in a prepared statement. “Among the critical components, it authorizes the EAA Reservoir, allowing for movement of water south from Lake Okeechobee, and it speeds review of the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS). This review is necessary so that LORS can be adjusted to provide more water during the winter months, when our estuaries need it, and less during the summer months when releases damage our ecosystem. These projects will significantly reduce discharges to the Caloosahatchee and improve SWFL water quality. Over the last 18 months we have secured more funding for building WRDA authorized projects than at any time in the last decade. I will continue to fight for the resources we need to fix our water.”
Sen. Bill Nelson advocated for WRDA on the Senate floor, pressing for the provision that would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to being work on the reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee.
“We should take it up and pass this bill immediately so that it can go to the White House for signature into law and so we can get to work on the reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee,” Nelson said in a prepared statement. “The reservoir is particularly important and it’s timely right now because of this algae crisis in Florida, but it’s also a critical piece of a broader Everglades restoration effort. We need additional storage so that we can move water gradually from Lake Okeechobee, clean it up, and send it south to the areas of the Everglades that are starved for freshwater.”
The House also passed the final appropriations act that funs the ACOE Everglades Restoration program.
It was passed by the Senate on Sept. 13 by a vote of 95-2 and will now go to President Trump’s desk for his signature.
These appropriations will help fund eight different CERP projects totalling $67.5 million as well as $96 million for Herbert Hoover Dike repairs.
Though these steps are heading in a positive direction, some believe a lot more needs to be done in terms of funding from the federal government.
“The amount of money coming out of Washington is anemic,” said Eric Eikenberg, CEO of The Everglades Foundation.
Frustration levels have risen, due to the state having set aside $200 million for Everglades restoration, a number that the federal government said it would watch, Eikenberg said.
“Florida needs to demand $200 million from Washington,” he said.
He believes the blueprints for the Everglades reservoir need to start immediately, and that the new governor, whomever it may be, needs to break ground on the project in 2019.
“This is a huge puzzle piece,” Eikenberg said of the reservoir. “It will connect water from Lake O to the Keys. It needs to be built in the next four years; we can’t wait 10 years. This is a crisis, we have felt economic loss as well as health risks.”
The reservoir was approved back in 2000, it is not a new concept to law makers and officials.
Another bad outbreak of blue-green algae – the green goop sliming Cape Coral canals for the last two months – has kick-started the efforts again, but it has been 18 years of little progress.
“This is our Flint, Michigan,” Eikenberg said bluntly. “Our Congress needs to step up.”
He is hopeful that these recent bills will be put into action by President Trump.
“With these two pieces of legislation, Congress has brought us closer to implementing the next phases of restoration. We thank and congratulate the members of both Houses and their staffs who are responsible for this effort.
“Most importantly, we acknowledge the persistent efforts of tens of thousands of Floridians and other Americans who love our state: anglers, realtors, conservationists, representatives of the hospitality industry and ordinary citizens who want to rid our waterways of toxic algae. They have been relentless in demanding action from the Florida Legislature, Governor Scott, the Trump Administration and Members of Congress.
“Now, all eyes turn toward the United States Senate and President Trump: on behalf of tens of thousands of Americans who cherish the Sunshine State, we call on the upper Chamber to move forward with its version of the America’s Water Infrastructure Act and for the President to sign both bills into law.”
Nelson, earlier this week, also secured $1 million to enhance the public health response for communities affected by toxic algal blooms.
This provision will provide $1 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help areas most affected by harmful algal blooms.
Priority will be given to locations subject to a state of emergency designation within the previous 12 months, which includes 13 Florida counties, including Lee.
Nelson broke the news on his Twitter account when it was introduced.
“These toxic algae blooms are choking Florida’s waterways, crippling our economy and making people sick. That’s why Sen. Rubio and I introduced an amendment today to provide the CDC additional funding to more closely study the health risks posed by this algae,” he wrote.
Nelson also provided an update on water quality in general, harshly targetting what he says has been years of inaction on the state.
“The State of Florida, on the other hand, is the one responsible for the quality and cleanliness of the water,”?Nelson said in a letter to constituents. “For the past eight years our state leaders have repeatedly rolled back environmental standards, eased regulations and dismantled the state’s environmental agencies – all of which have allowed more and more pollutants to be dumped into our state’s waterways. Our state leaders even passed a law to stop the periodic inspections of leaking septic tanks It seems like the algae has never been this bad. It’s never been this thick. It’s never been this toxic. And that’s because it’s never been this polluted.”
-Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj