To help river, help lake, and that means money

While Treasure Coast residents struggle to cope with the latest destructive discharges from Lake Okeechobee, the resulting algae bloom on waterways and tons of silt pouring into the St. Lucie estuary, news from Washington and the South Florida Water District offers hope of preventing future environmental calamities.

First, the U.S. House of Representatives, with assistance from Rep. Mark Foley, R-Jupiter, has approved a massive Water Resources Development Act that includes $1.2 billion for the Indian River Lagoon restoration plan. The first Everglades restoration project, it would store excess water in natural areas and clean it in filter marshes, as well as clean up a half-century's worth of muck that now fouls river bottoms. Residents can help by contacting senators and urging them to approve legislation that also contains the Indian River Lagoon money. Storing and cleaning excess water ultimately helps save the rivers as well as the Everglades.

On the state level, South Florida Water Management District officials said this week that 10,000 acres the district owns north of Lake Okeechobee will be used to store and clean water before it enters the lake. The Legislature provided $25 million this year to get started, and the district hopes for another $125 million over the next three years. With district contributions added, a total of $200 million could be spent to clean up lake water. The projects would include a reservoir, two water treatment areas and $50 million for forward pumps. The pumps would be north and south of lake to ensure that water is available for farms and ranches when the lake is low.

The water district also plans to build a reservoir to hold excess lake water in Martin County near the St. Lucie locks as part of its "Acceler8" program to finish the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project faster. But information presented at a recent meeting of the Water Resources Advisory Committee indicates that the reservoir, scheduled for completion in five years, would reduce discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries by only about 10 percent. The planned larger reservoir on the Talisman property south of the lake could provide much more relief later.

In addition, the water district and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may keep the lake lower next spring. That would help the vital marsh grasses and keep room to hold waters from hurricanes and summer rains.

All these are hopeful possibilities, but they are years and plenty of politicking away from becoming reality. Meanwhile, the district and corps need to share accurate information with the public and determine ways to better manage the lake under what can be difficult conditions. Until Congress and the Legislature come up with the money to create places to put all the excess water, the district will have to decide what to do with that water.