Biggest threat to Everglades is politics There are plenty of villains in this story. tcpalm/news/2014/jul/03/eve-samples-there-are-lots-of-villains-in-this/ Swamp-draining profiteers. Burmese pythons and feral cats. Now we have rising seas to worry about, too. But none of those threats are as menacing as these: Political foot-dragging and bureaucracy. It’s the tale of the Everglades and its connecting waterways, as told in a 240-page federal report released last week called “Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades.” The report, published every two years, is mandated by the federal government in an attempt to keep Everglades restoration on track. So far, the results have been underwhelming. Fifteen years after Florida and the federal government signed off on a $13.5 billion suite of projects known as the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP, for short), these realities persist: The former River of Grass still needs more cleansed freshwater from Lake Okeechobee. A lot more. And the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries still need less polluted freshwater from Lake O. A lot less. Redesigning the state’s plumbing system to accomplish that requires large amounts of money and political vision — both scarce commodities in Tallahassee and Washington. Meanwhile, the ecosystem that was imperiled more than a century ago when developers drained the Everglades now faces threats from invasive species (including Burmese pythons and, that’s right, feral cats). In the decades to come, climate change is See SAMPLES, 4A EVE SAMPLES COLUMNIST Article Continued Below See SAMPLES on Page A04 SAMPLES from 1A expected to compound the Everglades problems by straining water supply and enabling saltwater intrusion, according to the progress report, published by the National Research Council. Lest we get too discouraged, there are some signs of hope. The report points to the potential for relief from the Central Everglades Planning Project. Known as CEPP, it would move more water from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades without requiring the immediate purchase of more land. (The project would divert less than 15 percent of current releases to the St. Lucie Estuary.) The reports authors temper that hope by reminding us of court-mandated water quality rules that could limit CEPPs potential. They encourage the agencies working on CEPP - the South Florida Water Management District and Army Corps of Engineers - to recognize the urgency and find solutions to those constraints. Without such solutions, redistribution of existing water may not be feasible until 2035 or beyond, the reports authors write. Money is another hurdle for CEPP. The agencies working on CEPP envision $100 million a year. At that rate, construction wouldnt be done for four decades - exceedingly long for a system already in significant decline, the reports authors state. Exceedingly long. Its the pace weve become accustomed to. That doesnt make it any more acceptable. With the arrival of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio on the Treasure Coast last month, every locally important political figure short of President Barack Obama has visited the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon. Theyve seen the Gatorade bottles of tainted water and muck. Theyve looked at the aerial pictures of our fouled-up river. Gov. Rick Scott and the state Legislature recently signed off on more than $230 million worth of Everglades - and lagoonrelated - projects, but its a small increment compared to whats needed to redirect flows from Lake Okeechobee. That wont change until we eradicate the biggest threats to saving the Indian River Lagoon and Everglades. But how do you eradicate political foot-dragging and bureaucracy? Eve Samples is a columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. This column reflects her opinion. Contact her at 772-221-4217 or eve.samples@scripps.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 11:51:30 +0000
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