Lake Okeechobee discharges send 900 Million gallons of polluted water daily to St. Lucie River

The Army Corps of Engineers began discharges from Lake Okeechobee on December 7th, sending water east and west at the expense of Florida’s already fragile estuaries.

These discharges are part of the Corps’ "recovery operations," aimed at lowering the lake from its current level of 16 feet down to 12 feet. The goal is to provide relief to Lake Okeechobee's ecosystem, particularly its submerged aquatic vegetation, which has suffered losses from prolonged high water levels.

But this decision is part of a much larger problem—one that’s rooted in systemic shortcomings, political roadblocks, and special-interest favoritism.

What’s triggering these discharges? How will they impact ecosystems like the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee? And why does one powerful industry seem to escape the consequences while the rest of Florida’s water system suffers?

Learn more about the discharges here from Capt. Mike Holliday of Stuart, Florida—what to expect and what needs to change long-term to make these lose-lose decision points a thing of the past.

And for more info, check out our detailed blog on the discharges: https://captainsforcleanwater.org/lak...

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