Is any of this rain falling on the big O

[tallydude]

It's amazing that some will state an opinion with no facts, and yet when presented with the facts, refuse to read them.

Responsibility discussions were monumental about who should bear the blame for South Florida's water systems and their management back in 95, as the voters were left to decide sur-charge, or no sur-charge on sugar. Fortunately there were enough of us that had been around long enough to remember enviornmental conditions prior to the formation of Florida water management.

Let's see: condominums clear out to rte. 27, which is miles into what used to be Glades. Sheetflow water sources completely shut eliminating major parts of the Glades. Hundreds of other occurences detrimental to the enviorment that I am sure those Sugar barons had very little if any input.

I wonder who dried up the land and then sold it off to developement and agriculture. I wonder who it was that was involved in ruining the once beautifull Kissimmee river turning it into a straight-line carrier of pollution down through the Kissimmee chain. I wonder who it was selling the new land created by the straightening of that beautiful river.

Sugar manages their cane fields, Corp of Engineers build things, and South Florida Water Management mis-manages the water. We started the drastic downhill trend back in 72 as the water management districts were formed. What a shame.

Yes, it is true that the Central and Southern Flood Control System was turned over to SFWMD for maintenance and operations, BUT the Herbert Hoover Dike, the navigational channel and lake levels and lake operations were retained by the federal government exclusively.

[fishingfourfun]

My father has worked for Unites States Sugar Corporation for 42 years.  The water used to be back pumped into the lake but that is no longer the case.  The government has also asked that the water leaving their fields to be cleaner than what falls from the sky.  No one is debatiing that the extra phosphorus has hurt the environment.  The sugar industry has made much progress of using less fertilizer.  Much of the pollution comes from cows  north of the lake.  The river system has been straightened and allows a high phosphorus flow toc ome into the north end of the lake.  Sugar is a grass and uses much less water than most crops.  If we are looking for a reason for the problems I would look at the number of people that live in south Florida and the changing weather patterns that we as humans are causing.  The land can only support so many people.  

[bocabasser]

It's amazing that some will state an opinion with no facts, and yet when presented with the facts, refuse to read them.

Responsibility discussions were monumental about who should bear the blame for South Florida's water systems and their management back in 95, as the voters were left to decide sur-charge, or no sur-charge on sugar. Fortunately there were enough of us that had been around long enough to remember enviornmental conditions prior to the formation of Florida water management.

Let's see: condominums clear out to rte. 27, which is miles into what used to be Glades. Sheetflow water sources completely shut eliminating major parts of the Glades. Hundreds of other occurences detrimental to the enviorment that I am sure those Sugar barons had very little if any input.

I wonder who dried up the land and then sold it off to developement and agriculture. I wonder who it was that was involved in ruining the once beautifull Kissimmee river turning it into a straight-line carrier of pollution down through the Kissimmee chain. I wonder who it was selling the new land created by the straightening of that beautiful river.

Sugar manages their cane fields, Corp of Engineers build things, and South Florida Water Management mis-manages the water. We started the drastic downhill trend back in 72 as the water management districts were formed. What a shame.

Yes, it is true that the Central and Southern Flood Control System was turned over to SFWMD for maintenance and operations, BUT the Herbert Hoover Dike, the navigational channel and lake levels and lake operations were retained by the federal government exclusively.

i do not claim to  have the answers, but after reading the article presented by mr. welcome, it seems that sfwmd has A LOT  to do with the releasing of water. yes it is a joint decision with the uscoe, but it seems the governing board at the sfwmd has the last word. with all do respect WPD i think you should read the article before you start barking facts. i have attended a couple of the S.A.F.E.R. meetings down here, and it seems that no one has a viable solution. what's next? who knows, but i do know people that fish the st. lucie estuaries and they say that the fresh water coming in is killing the estuaries and the fishing. again i don't have the answer, but something needs to be done SOON, so my children can see lake okeechobee thrive like it once did.

[tallydude]

Certainly the lake is in trouble, BocaBasser. Alot of it stems from the Army Corps of Engineers stubborn refusal for years to admit that there was problem with the dike.

As for the SFWMD, I know the executive director and have spoken to her about the lake, and believe me, she doesn't like the situation. Unfortunately, there's just not enough water to go around right now .

[warmer]

i still cant figure out why you guys are concerned... al gore told us that the hurricanes are going to be more frequent and fierce because we are raping the planet with all of our co2 emissions...

trust gore!

[bocabasser]

with all of this talk about lake okeechobee being so low and how bleak things look, my friend finished 3rd in the bass busters gold division. he had big fish of 9.42 pounds. it took 30 pounds to win it and i believe 2nd place was 28 pounds and change. the lake may be low, but some toads are being had.

[tallydude]

Totally. With the lake being so low, it's a good opportunity for the lake to repair itself, as well as give the district the ability to clean the muck from lake. Long term, this drought may prove to be a good thing.

[fishingfourfun]

Maybe they can take the muck from the lake bottom and replace the soil from the sod farms.

[bocabasser]

Maybe they can take the muck from the lake bottom and replace the soil from the sod farms.

great idea! if you have ever driven through pahokee, you will see some of the richest soil on the planet. the muck they like to call it. i would think a company would purchase the scraped muck for that exact idea.

[fishingfourfun]

I grew up in Clewiston.  The one nice thing about the muck is it is very rich in nutrients.  The soil between Belle Glade and West Palm Beach is very thin in spots.  Some spots in the field are getting close to the bedrock.  If the environmentalist had their way they would let the surgar cane field return to their natural state.  They don;t seem to get it into their heads that we can not turn back time.  I guess they would be happy if the population dwindled to nothing.

[RoLo]

I grew up in Clewiston. The one nice thing about the muck is it is very rich in nutrients. The soil between Belle Glade and West Palm Beach is very thin in spots. Some spots in the field are getting close to the bedrock. If the environmentalist had their way they would let the surgar cane field return to their natural state. They don;t seem to get it into their heads that we can not turn back time. I guess they would be happy if the population dwindled to nothing.

The following is a quote from the Lee County Commissioner, Ray Judah:

"Depending on which estimate is used, parts of the area will no longer be usable for sugarcane or any deep root crop in as little as 10 years"

Roger

[fishingfourfun]

It might not be used for agriculture but it will fetch a pretty penny for the sugar companies when they sell out to developers. USSC has at least 100K acres of land.  That will be a great backup plan when they are no longer a sugar company!

[Bassn Blvd]

Maybe they can take the muck from the lake bottom and replace the soil from the sod farms.

They already scraped the lake bed in certain areas.