Lake Okeechobee reservoir to curb discharges gets DEP approval; SFWMD board votes Mar. 8th

Environmentalists and state officials agree there's "no silver bullet," no single project that will seriously curtail discharges of excess Lake Okeechobee water east to the St. Lucie River and west to the Caloosahatchee River. A suite of projects north, south, east and west of the lake are either under construction or in the planning stage to help solve the problem. Wochit

The state said a proposed reservoir project to cut Lake Okeechobee discharges not only will sufficiently clean water sent south to the Everglades — but that it must.

In a 12-page order, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein said the project will meet criteria for "water supply, water quality, flood protection, threatened and endangered species and other natural system and habitat needs."