Thread: Lake Okeechobee's rising waters create costly consequences

Lake Okeechobee's rising waters create costly consequences | Opinion

Andy Reid Contact Reporter Sun Sentinel

The man-made danger of turning Florida’s Great Lake into an oversized retention pond is resurfacing again.

Lake Okeechobee’s rising waters have hit their highest point in 12 years — raising concerns about South Florida flooding risks.

The lake’s water level over the weekend pushed past 17 feet above sea level, which is nearly two feet above the maximum targeted to avoid flooding. It’s up more than 3 feet since Hurricane Irma soaked Florida.

Those rising waters threaten to overwhelm the lake’s leaky dike – a 30-foot-tall mound of rock, shell and sand relied on to keep the lake from swamping South Florida.

The more-than-70-year-old dike is already considered one of the country’s most at risk of failing and is in the midst of a decades-long rehab.

For all the rain that this storm season delivered, lake flooding threats can also be blamed on the drainage system that allowed for mushrooming subdivisions and a sea of sugar cane across South Florida.

Funneling water into the lake from Central Florida and blocking lake water that once naturally flowed south to the Everglades opened more land for farming and development.
But now the lake fills up much faster than canals can siphon away water. And too much water pressing against the dike raises the risk of erosion creating a breach in its earthen walls.

As the waters keep rising, the Army Corps of Engineers has increased inspections of the dike to look for signs of trouble.



More lake water is also being drained to the east and west coasts, despite the risk of flushing pollutants into coastal waterways that can lead to toxic algae blooms and other environmental damage.

Gov. Rick Scott on Monday visited Lake Okeechobee, touring the dike and renewing his call for the federal government to “do their job” and speed up repairs.

“I am concerned that the water is this high. I am concerned that we haven’t had more money put into this,” Scott said.
Congressional funding for Lake Okeechobee’s dike during the past five years has averaged about $90 million a year. It would take getting about $200 million a year just to finish the dike rehab by the governor’s 2022 goal, according to the Army Corps.

Dike rehab already cost about $870 million since 2001 and it’s expected to cost nearly $1 billion more to finish.

Even after fixing the walls that hold back the lake’s water, Florida and the federal government still have to find more places to put the water that the storm season brings.

The long-term solution is Everglades restoration — cleaning up water pollution and sending more lake water south to the fading River of Grass. That’s estimated to cost $16 billion and has been slowed by the cost, construction problems as well as political fights over where to send the water.

Fixing Lake Okeechobee’s dike is a costly consequence for messing with Mother Nature, and it’s only the start.
abreid@sunsentinel.com, 561-228-5504 or Twitter@abreidnews

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/...009-story.html

"Gov. Rick Scott on Monday visited Lake Okeechobee, touring the dike and renewing his call for the federal government to “do their job” and speed up repairs."

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WHY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?

How about Florida get rid of the Haitian's, the Cuban's and every ILLEGAL alien out of the State that US TAXPAYERS foot the bill for and fix your own damn Lake!

This is what they do...waste STATE money on illegals and refugees and then want a BAILOUT on the backs of Federal Taxpayer Dollars...NO WAY!

70 YEAR OLD DIKE THAT YOU DID NOTHING ABOUT...BUT ALLOW YOUR STATE TO BE FLOODED WITH EVERY BREEDING WELFARE LEECH ON THE PLANET!

Originally Posted by Beezer

. . . WHY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? . . .

Because the dike was built by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as flood control undertakings for the U.S. Government.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of maintenance and upkeep because it is a federal project ordered by Herbert Hoover. That's why it's called The Herbert Hoover Dike.
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. . . After a personal inspection of the area by President Herbert Hoover, the Corps drafted a new plan which provided for the construction of floodway channels, control gates, and major levees along Lake Okeechobee's shores. A long term system was designed for the purpose of flood control, water conservation, prevention of saltwater intrusion, and preservation of fish and wildlife populations.^[1]

In the 1930s, a larger system of levees was built around the lake. Following heavy precipitation and flooding from two hurricanes in 1947, the dike was again expanded in the 1960s to create the current Herbert Hoover Dike.^{[2] . . .}

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover_Dike


Video history[edit]

A short video history of the Herbert Hoover Dike produced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, titled USACE: Lake Okeechobee and the Herbert Hoover Dike. The video can be watched for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpkhJgV_mLo.

Originally Posted by Beezer

. . . How about Florida get rid of the Haitian's, the Cuban's and every ILLEGAL alien out of the State that US TAXPAYERS foot the bill for and fix your own damn Lake! . . .

Florida, and all other states, can NOT deport illegal aliens.

Only the federal government can deport people, under current laws.

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Florida, and all other states, can NOT deport illegal aliens.

Only the federal government can deport people, under current laws.

They aid and abet these illegals!

They can make life difficult and run them out, apprehend them and turn them over to ICE.

Each time I think of Florida, I think of Xanth by Piers Anthony lol

JUST IN: Lake Okeechobee on ‘dangerous rise’ into peak hurricane season

2 hours ago
By Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Harmful Lake Okeechobee releases will increase into the northern estuaries Friday as lake levels continue a “dangerous rise” into the peak of hurricane season.

The Army Corps announced the news Thursday, noting the lake level was 14.57 feet above sea level — higher than it was when Hurricane Irma struck on Sept. 10 last year. Rains from the major hurricane pushed the lake to a 12-year high of more than 17 feet in a single month.

Concerns about the integrity of the aging Herbert Hoover Dike mean the lake is closely monitored during the rainy season, but a record-wet May forced intermittent discharges into the St. Lucie Estuary and Caloosahatchee River to begin June 1. The dike protects Glades-area communities from life-threatening flooding, but can suffer breaches if the water level is too high.

The freshwater releases contribute to blue-green algae blooms in the estuaries, which have spread in both waterways this summer and forced the closure of the popular Bathtub Beach to swimming on Wednesday after algae was spotted.

“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,” said Col. Jason Kirk, the Corps’ Jacksonville District commander, in a press release.

RELATED: Special Report: A foul task - cleaning up Florida’s red tide corpses

Susan Jackson, a spokeswoman for the Corps, said the average flow to the St. Lucie Estuary will increase by 330 cubic feet per second to 1,500 cubic feet per second. Water will continue to be released in pulses to allow some saltwater into the estuary during tidal shifts.


Algae in the Caloosahatchee River beside the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam in Alva, Florida, July 11, 2018. (Greg Lovett / The Palm Beach Post)

The increase on the Caloosahatchee side was less clear late Thursday. Although Jackson confirmed more Lake Okeechobee water will be released into the estuary — 2,000 cubic feet per second — a different measuring location made it more difficult to calculate the increase, she said.

The rapid rise in water levels in Lake Okeechobee is a perennial concern for the Corps, which tries to balance the potential need for water during the dry season with concerns over tropical systems dumping dike-damaging rains during hurricane season.

In 2008, Tropical Storm Fay slogged through Florida, leaving as much as 20 inches of rain in central regions of the state and pushing Lake Okeechobee levels up 4 feet in a single month.

Tropical Storm Isaac in 2012 caused the lake to rise nearly 4 feet in six weeks.

PHOTOS: Florida’s blue-green algae disaster 2018

Peak hurricane season runs between mid-August and mid-October — a time when up to 95 percent of hurricanes form in the tropical Atlantic. Although this season has been forecast to have less storm activity than normal, the Corps said there is no guarantee another Irma isn’t lurking.

“A similar storm could take the lake to even higher levels (than 17 feet),” Thursday’s press release said.


People stand in the over flow area during a public forum with the Army Corps, South Florida Management District and Rep. Brian Mast to discuss the algae problems in South Florida and water projects planned to alleviate them. at the Stuart City Hall in Stuart, Florida, August 1, 2018. (Greg Lovett / The Palm Beach Post)

“We move water everywhere except the estuaries when we can and we continue to do that,” Kirk said last week at a community meeting in Stuart where Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, asked that the lake be kept at lower levels during the dry season to avoid wet season discharges.

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The blue-green algae, which is actually a cyanobacteria, can be toxic and dangerous levels of toxins have been measure on the Treasure Coast and along the Caloosahatchee this summer.

Robert Lord, president of Martin Health System, said last week there has been an increase in emergency room visits from people suffering symptoms linked to blue-green algae but that it hasn’t been as bad as in 2016 when a widespread outbreak slimed the St. Lucie.

“Two years ago we had far worse problems, but this year, 73 patients have been treated for symptoms that we think are related to blue-green algae,” Lord said. “Common sense suggests to me that the long-term impact will be very bad.”

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/weathe...oC0FzQmZCom7K/

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Because the dike was built by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as flood control undertakings for the U.S. Government.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of maintenance and upkeep because it is a federal project ordered by Herbert Hoover. That's why it's called The Herbert Hoover Dike.

BUT

For all the rain that this storm season delivered, lake flooding threats can also be blamed on the drainage system that allowed for mushrooming subdivisions and a sea of sugar cane across South Florida.

Funneling water into the lake from Central Florida and blocking lake water that once naturally flowed south to the Everglades opened more land for farming and development.
But now the lake fills up much faster than canals can siphon away water. And too much water pressing against the dike raises the risk of erosion creating a breach in its earthen walls.

Florida made those alterations to profit Floridians. But now that it backfired, they want the Feds to cover their losses. The dike would be adequate with the Army Corps Of Engineers maintaining it for its original purpose.

Trump Signs Bill Creating Reservoir South Of Lake Okeechobee


October 23, 2018 at 6:11 pm
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — President Donald Trump has signed a wide-ranging bill to improve the nation’s water infrastructure, including a project intended to reduce toxic algae blooms that have devastated coastal marine life and emptied beaches.

The law signed Tuesday will help create a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee designed to filter out toxins that contribute to harmful algae blooms that have killed turtles, fish, and even manatees and have ravaged Florida’s tourism-driven economy.

“This reservoir is particularly important right now to help mitigate the toxic algae crisis that’s sweeping the state, but it’s also critical for our broader Everglades restoration effort,” Florida Senator Bill Nelson said.

The America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 authorizes more than $6 billion in spending over 10 years for projects nationwide, including the $1.3 billion Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir.

The law also boosts projects to restore Gulf Coast wetlands damaged by Hurricane Harvey and improve harbors in Seattle, Savannah, Georgia, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

https://miami.cbslocal.com/2018/10/2...ke-okeechobee/

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