Water-Related News

South Florida political leaders tour Caloosahatchee, discuss water quality

Leaders from South Florida’s two coasts met on Wednesday to discuss water quality issues facing this region of the state and its possible solutions.

The cities of Miami, Sanibel and Fort Myers are joining efforts to address water quality and Everglades restoration. To do this, representatives from Captains for Clean Water, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, the Everglades Trust, the City of Sanibel, and City of Miami went on a tour of the Caloosahatchee River on Wednesday.

On the Southwest Florida coast, one of the main issues is the discharges from Lake Okeechobee that contribute to blue-green algae.

“Our big issues are of course the discharges from Lake Okeechobee, not getting the amount of freshwater we need during the dry season, and then getting too much of that water during the wet season,” said James Evans, director of Environmental policy for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.