conocean Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 Not sure if anyone saw this. I always cringe when I hear the Army Corps of Engineers is involved in helping with these types of situations. Those genius's were responsible for trying to "dry up" the Everglades years ago!! :susel: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ February 8, 2016 MEDIA CONTACT: Randy Smith South Florida Water Management District Office: (561) 682-2800 or Cellular: (561) 389-3386 www.sfwmd.gov/news Re: Water Levels in Water Conservation Area 3 “In coordination with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, under the leadership of Commissioner Ron Bergeron, the South Florida Water Management District, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, [color:red]U.S. Army Corps of Engineers[/color] and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida are working on an emergency plan to provide prompt relief for Water Conservation Areas 3A and 3B. “These areas have been inundated with record rainfall and high stormwater inflows, resulting in extremely high water levels and causing ecological harm to wildlife in those areas. Especially impacted are deer, small mammals and wading birds that have lost food sources and safe habitats because of the high-water conditions. “To avert widespread decimation of wildlife populations, the agencies are now formulating a plan to ease regulatory restrictions on operations, thereby improving flexibility for water managers to lower the levels in these conservation areas as soon as possible while continuing to achieve flood protection for urban and agricultural communities and providing water to benefit Everglades National Park.†Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 "Hello, we are from the Government, and we're here to help." That's worked out so well for everything else they've touched, why in the world would you sound so skeptical?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 You would think they would learn that mother nature does what she does for a reason!! and she knows what she is doing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason p Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 Hey, it only took 60 years to unplug Florida Bay, it should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicecast Posted February 9, 2016 Report Share Posted February 9, 2016 I ***ume "lower the levels" means dumping water. My question is... to where? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurricane Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Funny how they say this is too save wildlife. The wildlife was fine before you messed with it. Now your gonna dump tons of water into the St.Lucie area and kill tons of fish, oysters and gr***. What about this wildlife Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 I ***ume "lower the levels" means dumping water. My question is... to where? That would be my question. I have to deal with our west coast SWFMD and engineers for work. Their designs to handle rain water and run somehow are not working to well. Their great plans that are suppose to handle a "hundred year flood" I have seen fail 4 times in the last few years. Either we are extremely unlucky or something is wrong. I do not know the scope of the south Florida plan but fixing one issue always seems to create 3 more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 I ***ume "lower the levels" means dumping water. My question is... to where? That would be my question. I have to deal with our west coast SWFMD and engineers for work. Their designs to handle rain water and run somehow are not working to well. Their great plans that are suppose to handle a "hundred year flood" I have seen fail 4 times in the last few years. Either we are extremely unlucky or something is wrong. I do not know the scope of the south Florida plan but fixing one issue always seems to create 3 more. Everything looks good on paper and (sarcasm) "always works". :confused: Yep, leave mother nature alone and she will take care of her own. Unfortunately, mankind has a bad habit of rearranging , altering or destroying what she has done for the better. Unfortunately, mankind does more damage than good a lot of times when attempting to alter nature. Bad Idea. Let nature take it's course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdemott Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Send it all to Stuart, the "Corp" has just about destroyed the St. Lucie River. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Troy Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Water is coming out by the billions of gallons out both sides of the lake. The water around Sanibel is black right now. The problem is this is the dry season. If they are going to continue long term dumping the dark water will cut the sunlight off for the sea gr*** and then they are going to see just how much long term damage they have to deal with. The winter tourist folks are freaking out right now and cancelling beach hotel reservations. Many of the winter residents that are here now have never seen this because they are here during "dry season". The lake O dike is in bad shape and the water management people know it. If this el nino continues and we have a wet spring and summer the estuaries are going to be exposed to the nutrient laden fresh water for a very pro longed period this year. It's going to get ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LenC Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 What could possibly go wrong??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted February 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 As reported by the Miami Herald on 2/9/16: Make fixing the Everglades a priority Water managers fear the 143-mile-long dike around Lake Okeechobee could fail if too much water builds up in the lake. GREG LOVETT - AP The reopening of the flood gates around Lake Okeechobee last week underlined the perilous state of South Florida’s vulnerable water system. Water managers were forced to act because recent heavy rains produced dangerous water levels in the lake and around nearby communities. This is the perennial problem of Lake Okeechobee. Unusual amounts of rainfall increase pressure on the dikes that could lead to a disaster. “Our main purpose right now is public safety,†said Jim Jeffords, Operations Division Chief for the Jacksonville office of the Corps of Engineers, explaining the latest discharge. It comes at a high cost, however. The discharge released millions of gallons of polluted water into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers, further degrading estuaries on Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and causing incalculable damage along the coastal areas on both sides of the Florida peninsula. There has to be a way out of this recurring environmental nightmare — and there is: Buy more land south of the lake so that discharges can be sent in that direction. Build reservoirs to hold the water and reduce pollution naturally. Then send it farther south to Florida Bay, which desperately needs fresh water. This, in a nutshell, is what Everglades restoration is all about. Sounds easy enough, but it isn’t, for two reasons: money and politics. Both Congress and the Florida Legislature have to pitch in with funding. It’s a 50/50 proposition with the goal of buying land, removing barriers so that water can be stored in reservoirs to remove pollutants, then sent into the Everglades. This pumps clean, restorative waters into the River of Gr*** — a drinking source for 8 million people in this part of the state — and eliminates the need to pollute rivers east and west of the lake. Among the steps that must be taken is p***age of a new water-development bill in Congress to authorize a $2 billion engineering project to collect and channel water around the lake into the Everglades. The plan has bipartisan support from the Florida delegation, including Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Marco Rubio, and the blessing of the Corps of Engineers. This is a must-p*** priority for Florida. The second item of this vital project is money to buy the land, which could come from the state Legislature as part of a deal to carve out at least $200 million a year for the next 20 years from Amendment 1 funding. Here’s where the politics comes in. Amendment 1 was designed for conserving new land. Instead, the Legislature has diverted much of the money to cover salaries, fighting wildfires, providing insurance and controlling pollution on private land. This year, lawmakers have decided to set aside some of the funds for Everglades restoration — but to use the bulk of the money generated by Amendment 1 for purposes barely connected to land buying and conservation. This trade-off has divided the environmental community. We don’t like splitting the baby, either. Everglades restoration should be the priority. But buying fragile lands and preserving springs can’t constantly run a distant second. The promises of Amendment 1 must be realized. Congress should approve money to restore the Everglades, and the Legislature should approve a plan to allocate a minimum of $200 million a year to complement federal funding. We’ve been talking about Everglades restoration, seemingly, forever. Now is the time to get it done. http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article59407653.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicecast Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Thanks Conocean. This seems like a very reasonable plan. It's infuriating that it can't be enacted quickly! You guys in the know... Which organizations working on this do you suggest we support? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurricane Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 Wish they could get it done. The current Fed admin is all about the environment and global warming. This should be an easy task for them to approve and push the state to do their part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Troy Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 Thanks Conocean. This seems like a very reasonable plan. It's infuriating that it can't be enacted quickly!You guys in the know... Which organizations working on this do you suggest we support? We have to vote our way out of this. If that is even possible. :confused: The administrations both state, local and federal have failed. The remote possibility may finally exist to get something done as the event is now happening in the time of our busiest tourist season. This is all about dollars and corruption to the highest level. Heck, the current Governor just toured this mess a short while back in the summer a few years ago. The promises and panic ended as soon as the rain stopped. Too much development, too many people and not enough water will be the demise of what everyone comes to this state for to begin with. Florida is soon to become the next California. We are gonna run out of everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 Well said Capt.Troy. Florida is not the same place I grew up in. An old cracker once told me "The biggest thing that ruined Florida was air conditioning." Too many people not enough space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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