Only in the most dire emergencies is the South Florida Water Management District allowed to back-pump stormwater into Lake Okeechobee.
But last week the district was forced to declare one of those emergencies.
It had no choice, said SFWMD spokesman Randy Smith. The district was faced with a last resort. "There was such a tremendous amount of rain ... We have a very saturated system ..."
Exactly what nobody wants: water pumped into the big lake before it's been cleaned of pollutants.
To make matters worse, the rain also caused the lake to rise. Which means, to manage Lake O's levels, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will increase water discharges into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries.
But water managers' hands were tied. All of the SFWMD's water storage areas were swamped. And the deluge was a life-threatening event. In Palm Beach County alone, 5 inches of rain fell within two days. In fact, some of the Glades communities -- Belle Glade, for example -- took on as much as 9 inches of rain in less than three days.
“More water storage capacity is clearly needed to protect both South Florida’s residents, businesses and visitors and the environment,” wrote South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member Mitch Hutchcraft in a letter released Friday.
You can read more about the district's action here, in a commentary from Kevin Powers, vice chairman of the SFWMD Governing Board.
The bad news about this rain event is just about everything. But the silver lining in the cloud is 'Legacy Florida,' a bill winding its way through the Legislature that, if passed, will guarantee there won't be many more of these to suffer.
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee passed along the Legacy Florida bill Friday -- same day a lot of the back-pumping was going on. Sponsored by Reps. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, and Matt Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers, HB 989 would create a dedicated funding source for Everglades restoration. Funding for the program is expected to reach $200 million annually.
Said Harrell, "By creating the Legacy Florida program, we are taking the necessary steps to complete the decades-long restoration that will ensure Florida's River of Grass will be enjoyed by generations to come."
HB 989 provides for the distribution of funds deposited into the Land Acquisition Trust Fund. Of the funds remaining after the payment of debt service obligations, the Legislature will be required to appropriate a minimum of the lesser of 25 percent, or $200 million, for Everglades projects that implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).
The bill requires that from these funds $32 million will be distributed each year through the 2023-2024 fiscal year to the South Florida Water Management District for the long-term plan. After deducting the $32 million, from the funds remaining, a minimum of the lesser of 76.5 percent or $100 million will be appropriated each fiscal year through the 2025-2026 fiscal year for the planning, design, engineering and construction of CERP.
This was the wettest January since recordkeeping began in 1932, according to the district.
It also has wreaked havoc with the state's agriculture, including the lucrative vegetable crops farmed on the edge of the Everglades.
“South Florida farmers are reeling from biblical proportions of rainfall and flooding over the past few days, weeks and months (because) of El Niño,” Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said in a written statement. “With record amounts of rainfall over the last three months, and above-average rainfall expected for the next several months, the long-term impacts to South Florida’s agriculture community, could be devastating.
"We’re currently in communication with the South Florida Water Management District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and others to monitor the situation and provide support to the impacted communities as needed,” Putnam said.
What timing for Legacy Florida. What an opportunity to pass a bill so critical to the well-being and the quality of life of so many.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
