Clean Water Action •
Conservancy of Southwest Florida • Ding Darling Wildlife Society • Friends of
the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge • Florida Native
Plant Society • Florida Oceanographic Society • Last Stand • Martin County
Conservation Alliance • Reef Relief • Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation •
Sierra Club • Sierra Club Florida • Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group • Florida
Wildlife Federation
October 22, 2013
Senate Office Building
404 S. Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
RE: Protecting Our Rivers: A Call to Action for the State of Florida
Dear Florida Senator,
We are facing a crisis. Billions of gallons of polluted
water are being discharged out of Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and
St. Lucie estuaries. This polluted water threatens human health, kills fish and
wildlife, triggers toxic algal blooms, and is devastating to local economies
that depend on a healthy estuary.
Due to
the current water management operations, the residents and businesses along the
St. Lucie River, Indian River Lagoon, and Caloosahatchee River are suffering
greatly, and have been for many years as a result of policy decisions that seek
to insulate interests in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) from any
adverse impacts that are the result of natural flooding and the loss of natural
wetlands.
We
recognize and appreciate the actions of Gov. Rick Scott to invest $40 million
to accelerate construction of critical storm water treatment structures as part
of the C-44 reservoir project along the St. Lucie River, and $90 million to
fast track the next 2.6 miles of Tamiami Trail bridging. However, there are no quick and easy
solutions. The devastating discharges will continue until Everglades restoration
is fully implemented. We must be
vigilant about implementing long-term solutions, and we call on the state of
Florida and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take actions today to minimize
the immediate harmful impacts of these discharges in a manner that reflects the
principle of shared adversity.
1. SHORT TERM steps
Given the current
state of our water management system that has fundamentally altered our
environment, we cannot ultimately solve this problem through short-term
fixes. However, there are a number of
steps the state and federal governments can take to reduce the discharges and
the resulting economic, environmental and social damage.
State AND LOCAL Actions Needed:
·
Identify and secure, through
purchase or cooperative agreement, lands throughout the greater Everglades ecosystem
on which water can be stored
to reduce flooding and minimize damaging discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the
coastal estuaries.
·
The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) and the South Florida Water Management
District (“SFWMD”) provide operational
flexibility in the Kissimmee basin and upper chain of lakes to hold
water higher in lakes earlier in the season to store additional water in
the headwaters of the greater Everglades ecosystem.
·
Require the inspection and
repair of septic tanks to
protect public health and to prevent algae blooms. Provide support and
incentives for septic-to-sewer projects.
·
Support strict rainy-season bans
on the application of nitrogen and phosphorus urban fertilizers like those recently adopted by
Martin and Indian River Counties.
Fertilizer-laden stormwater runoff feeds the toxic and nuisance algae
that kill manatees, dolphins, shorebirds, fish and the sea grass that is
necessary to support marine fisheries.
o
Coastal
and upstream counties and municipalities in the region should adopt similar strict
rainy-season bans immediately.
o
The
Legislature should halt its efforts to preempt local government control of
urban fertilizer management.
2. Long-Term Solutions
The only real
solution for protecting our rivers and the economies that they generate is
ecosystem restoration.
State Actions Needed:
·
Accelerate the Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan,
including the following CERP projects:
o
Everglades Agricultural Area
(EAA) Lands Acquisition:
Work with US Sugar and other willing sellers in the EAA to acquire lands to
restore a flow path south of Lake Okeechobee sufficient to store, cleanse and
convey at least 1.5 million acre-feet of water.
o
CEPP: The South Florida Water Management District and
the Corps must meet the December 31st deadline to finalize plans for
the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP). CEPP, in conjunction with
bridging Tamiami Trail, is the key next step to divert and clean Lake
Okeechobee discharges away from the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie, and restore
freshwater flows into the central Everglades. If we miss this deadline, we may
need to wait years for federal authorization.
o
C-43: This reservoir along the
Caloosahatchee, designed to store up to 170,000 acre-feet of water, will intercept
local runoff and hold it for dry season flows utilizing lands already purchased
by the South Florida Water Management District. Governor Scott and State legislators must urge Congress to pass the
Water Resources Development Act, which will authorize various restoration
projects.
o
C-44: Construction of 3,400 acres of
storage and 6,300 acres of Stormwater Treatment Areas (to clean polluted water)
is already underway. The state and federal governments must work
to complete this project as soon as possible.
·
Governor Scott must support the use of federal funding from the RESTORE Act to help finance the immediate construction of
C-43 (Caloosahatchee) Reservoir and the Tamiami Trail 2.6-mile bridge, which is
included in the Department of Interior’s “Next Steps” project benefiting
Everglades National Park.
·
Increase state funding for
restoration and associated initiatives. A surplus of state
funds is available. We are in crisis
today - the time for investment is now.
o Fund
Florida Forever: The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection and South Florida Water Management District are
reliant upon Florida Forever to purchase additional lands for water storage and
treatment throughout the Everglades ecosystem.
Florida Forever acquisitions offer an excellent opportunity to both
preserve natural Everglades habitats and retain water in wetlands. There are proposals on the Florida Forever
list benefiting Lake Okeechobee and the estuaries include Blue Head Ranch,
Panther Glades, Adams Ranch, Fisheating Creek Ecosystem, Estero Bay, and
Holeyland and Rotenberger Wildlife Management Areas.
o Fund
implementation of the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Plan, the Caloosahatchee River Watershed Protection Plan and the St. Lucie River Watershed
Protection Plan which emphasize the need for water storage and treatment on
private and public lands, associated construction projects, and improved Best
Management Practices to reduce nutrient-laden farm runoff.
·
Support and direct the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to resume and
finalize development of updated statewide stormwater regulation for new
development and to implement in a timely manner to ensure all new developments remove
at least 80% of both the Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus they generate.
·
Direct the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection to set measurable, enforceable nutrient
pollution limits for all of Florida's waters to stop pollution at its source.
·
Direct the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection to create a statewide database to track and
address wildlife and public health impacts from harmful algae.
Sincerely,
Clean Water Action
Kathy Aterno, Florida Director
Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Jennifer Hecker, Director of Natural Resource Policy
Jennifer Hecker, Director of Natural Resource Policy
Ding
Darling Wildlife Society
John McCabe, President
John McCabe, President
Friends of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National
Wildlife Refuge
Elinor
Williams, President
Florida Native Plant Society
Joan Bausch, Everglades Coalition Delegate
Florida Oceanographic Society
Mark D. Perry, Executive Director
Florida
Wildlife Federation
Manley
K. Fuller, President
Last
Stand
Mark Songer, Vice President and Treasurer
Mark Songer, Vice President and Treasurer
Martin
County Conservation Alliance
Tom Bausch, Board of Directors Member
Tom Bausch, Board of Directors Member
Reef
Relief
Mill McCleary, Executive Program Director
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation
Rae Ann Wessel, Natural Resource Policy Director
Sierra Club
Frank Jackalone, Senior Organizing Manager
Mill McCleary, Executive Program Director
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation
Rae Ann Wessel, Natural Resource Policy Director
Sierra Club
Frank Jackalone, Senior Organizing Manager
Sierra Club Florida
Debbie Matthews, Chapter Chair
Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group
Drew Martin, Conservation Chair
