Many of your have been with us on our Everglades Air Tour and you’ve seen firsthand the vastness, diversity and beauty of The Everglades. You’ve heard me talk about the ecologic importance of our “River of Grass,” how our drinking water comes from an aquifer below a surficial limestone bed and how water levels in Lake Okeechobee are managed through a system of dykes, canals and pumping stations.
Many of you have seen these canals and pumping stations from the air and you’ve learned about how Florida voters said, “YES” to restoring the southerly flow of water from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay.
But only a few folks have flown with us over the mouth of the St. Lucie River in Stuart to witness the disgusting flow of polluted, algae-filled freshwater discharged from Lake Okeechobee because the southerly flow of water from the Lake has not been re-established.
Many of us in the Florida Attractions and Tourism industries are raising our voices to put an end to the stalled political will that has halted the repurchase of farmland and the subsequent restoration of the slow flow of water south through The Everglades.
Voters in the State of Florida approved the funding of land purchases specifically to reduce the farmland, build a reservoir south of the lake and restore the flow of water to Florida Bay.
The fragile Everglades ecosystem is at a tipping point and needs the support of the Florida legislature. This ecosystem supports 1.3 million jobs and represents $109 billion to Florida’s economy. More than 200 Everglades scientists agree that increased storage, treatment and conveyance of water is necessary as a long-term solution.
The EAA reservoir would capture and store Lake Okeechobee overflow to be redistributed to the south and the Everglades, after being cleaned via filtering through the ground. This would stop the damaging discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers and the choking drought occurring in the Everglades.
65% of Florida voters approved the purchase and the U.S. Congress reaffirmed their commitment to the project in 2016. Orvis, the outdoor industry and we want everyone to know how precious the Everglades is and how political will can restore the Everglades, Florida Bay, and Florida’s major estuaries.
RESTORE THE FLOW
You can help too.
Text WATER to 52886, and tell Florida’s leaders to support SB10 and HB761 and to build the EAA Reservoir, which would restore the flow of fresh, clean water to the River of Grass.
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