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Algal Bloom on Lake O is now 500 Square Miles
The algal bloom on Lake O is now 500 square miles, making it larger than the size of New York City and Los Angeles.
This bloom on Lake O has also tested more than 100 times too toxic for human contact, according to the EPA!
With a massive toxic algal bloom forming on Lake O and the water levels on the lake still too high, we are staring down the barrel of another lost summer and the Army Corps is threatening to pull the trigger.
On top of that, the Army Corps is currently writing the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual that will determine when discharges happen from Lake Okeechobee to the estuaries for the next decade. Despite the destruction caused by these blooms, the Army Corps is taking directions from two lobbyists for the sugar industry who have written one of the five finalist plans. I’m fighting to stop this plan (“Alternative BB”), which would increase harmful discharges to estuaries, from being selected!
Public comments are a critical part of this process that will help determine when and how many discharges happen for the next decade. You can share your opinion on the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual and “Alternative BB” here: