TALLAHASSEE – “We cannot forget the urgency that we felt last session in addressing the toxic algae blooms. Warm temperatures and heavy rains will put us right back in that situation,” said Senator Rob Bradley.
Algae bloom on Florida’s coast.
The Senate Appropriations Committee heard Jan. 18 from South Florida Water Management Executive Director Ernie Marks, who assured the committee that all of the alternatives presented by SFWMD for an reservoir in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) meet the requirements of SB 10, which was passed in May 2017.
Sen. Bradley, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, sponsored Senate Bill 10 in the 2017 Florida legislative session.
Diversions of water from Lake Okeechobee are the main reason for the current water quality problems in Florida.
“The legislature’s charge to SFWMD was to balance these concerns and deliver a project that reduced the harmful discharges, met water quality standards and sent additional water south to the Everglades and to Florida Bay,” he said. Mr. Marks said all of the proposed alternatives accomplish those goals.
