One of the largest and most shallow lakes in the United States has swollen to almost twice its normal depth, and is threatening to gush polluted water all over the surrounding South Florida area.
Downpours in the area over the past several months have left the normally nine-feet-deep Lake Okeechobee have raised the water levels to 15.5 feet, Mother Nature Network reported.
The rain damaged three major estuaries after officials were forced to send loads of polluted water their way, the only other option would have been to risk severely damaging a massive 143-mile-long dike protecting numerous agricultural areas and communities, the New York Times reported.
The estuaries in question contained a considerable amount of plant and animal life. Algae, which grew as a product of the pollutants flowing through the estuaries, took over the water. The result was a mass oyster death.
"Manatees, shellfish and the sea grasses and reefs that help sustain the estuaries," were also harmed by the overpopulation of algae, the Times reported.
"These coastal estuaries cannot take this," Mark D. Perry, the executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society, told the Times. "Enough is enough. This cannot continue to happen. These estuaries are so important to us, our environment and our economies."
Florida officials have a number of improvements on their list, as far as water treatment and management goes, but fixing the crucial dike is at the top. The Corps built the Herbert Hoover Dike in the 1920s, after hurricanes caused devastating flooding that killed 2,500 people. Over the years, hurricanes have caused significant damage to the dike.
"It doesn't take long at all to realize what a complex web water management is in South Florida," said John Campbell, a Corps of Engineers spokesman, told the Times. "There are no easy fixes anywhere."
Lake Okeechobee seems to be improving, but hurricane season is at its peak, and there is no telling what trials it might bring.
"The lake is slowly beginning to recede a bit," Ernie Barnett, the interim executive director for the South Florida Water Management District, told the Times."But the concern is still there. All it will take is one tropical storm to put us in a massive crisis mode."
