Charlotte County Commissioners to discuss Lake Okeechobee water quality project

CHARLOTTE COUNTY — Charlotte County Commissioners will vote on a resolution to support a pilot project that would help improve water quality on Lake Okeechobee tomorrow, Dec. 8.

The health of Lake Okeechobee is connected to the wellbeing of the State, wildlife, and local economy, according to the resolution.

Excess nutrients in Lake Okeechobee and the downstream estuaries are a yearly occurrence and can be traced back to spraying vegetation with chemicals. The chemical spray helps breed harmful algae blooms that can spread to coastal estuaries during Lake Okeechobee water releases.

Unless an effort to remove nutrients from Lake Okeechobee and nearby bodies of water, billions of dollars being spent on Everglades restoration will be wasted, according to the resolution.