Ryan Nicol
After the head of the Florida Oceanographic Society blamed recent algae blooms in the St. Lucie River Estuary on Lake Okeechobee discharges, several mayors representing Glades communities are pushing back.
The group of mayors issued a forceful letter to Mark Perry, Executive Director of Stuart’s Florida Oceanographic Society, after Perry told TCPalm that Lake O is the culprit for nontoxic blooms in Port Salerno last month.
“They don’t just appear by themselves,” Perry said of the blooms. “The (Lake O) discharges are harmful to the estuaries and need to stop.”
But in the letter directed to Perry, the mayors called that conclusion “false, harmful to our communities and especially damaging to our local economies.”
“Due to changes to the way the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has made in managing Lake Okeechobee, water from our region is a significantly small part of the water that ends up in your estuary,” the mayors wrote in a letter late last week.
“Sadly, your comments unfairly target a significant part of our region’s livelihood — recreation on Lake Okeechobee — and do not make these issues any easier to solve.”
That letter was signed by Mayors Keith Babb of Pahokee, Wayne Browning of Moore Haven, Joe Kyles of South Bay, Jimmy Pittman of Clewiston, Dowling Watford Jr. of Okeechobee and Steve Wilson of Belle Glade.
The letter cites South Florida Water Management District data showing local runoff accounted for four times the amount of water flowing into the St. Lucie Estuary last year than did Lake Okeechobee.
Instead, the mayors pointed to contamination from septic tank runoff as a likely source for the recent blooms.
“Thousands of septic tanks are leaking fecal bacteria into the estuary basin and nutrients from local runoff are the main source of fuel for algae blooms, particularly in congested coastal areas,” the letter continues.
“The science on local, coastal runoff has been clear: millions of people, using outdated waste treatment such as septic tanks, have a major impact on water quality. Many municipalities in our region have already made the hard choice of converting from septic tanks to sewer. While our region does not have the same tax base as the coastal region, many of our communities have made the responsible choice to stop polluting local waterways.”
Septic tanks have long been blamed for contributing to algae blooms in Florida, including a nearby bloom in 2022. Perry, meanwhile, pointed to discharges from Lake Okeechobee that began late last year for this most recent bloom. But he didn’t provide specific proof; rather, he pushed the Department of Environmental Protection to investigate the cause.
Regional mayors have long worked together to advocate for the Glades. And they warn that placing the blame on Lake O without evidence could cause reputational harm to nearby communities.
“The idea that Lake Okeechobee is toxic is a false narrative perpetuated by activist groups looking to fundraise. Nearly every weekend during the year, there are fishing tournaments held on Lake Okeechobee and people are recreating. According to the U.S. Travel Association, Lake Okeechobee has a $30 million impact on our communities locally. Comments suggesting the lake is unsafe can cause irreparable damage to this important industry,” the letter to Perry concludes.
“Mr. Perry, we invite you to come see Lake Okeechobee for yourself. Before you attack the economy of our communities, we invite you to learn about the importance of Lake Okeechobee to our area and come to understand the danger false narratives and misplaced blame have on our people and way of life.”
