U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) led a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers urging them to move water from the Water Conservation Areas (WCA) south of Lake Okeechobee to allow water to move south from the lake.  Additionally, the letter urges the Army Corps to reassess the Lake Okeechobee Release Schedule (LORS) to reevaluate at what level the lake can safely retain water while balancing public safety with the extreme pollution caused by lake discharges into the St. Lucie River and Estuary. Joining Murphy in sending this bipartisan letter are Reps. Trey Radel (FL-19), Corrine Brown (FL-5), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Ted Deutch (FL-21), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Joe Garcia (FL-26), Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20), Bill Posey (FL-8), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23). (Please find a copy of the letter below and attached).

"As we recognize National Estuaries Day today, I am committed to working to better the health of the St. Lucie Estuary which has been too long plagued by discharges from Lake Okeechobee, devastating the local environment, economy, and community," said Murphy. "By moving water from these WCAs and reassessing the LORS, harmful discharges from the lake can--and should--be reduced to better the health of our vital waterways. We must all come together to find real solutions such as these to address this ongoing crisis, which is why I am joining with Congressman Radel next week to host a briefing on Capitol Hill to make sure Congress is paying attention to this pressing issue."

For more information on next week's briefing, please click here.

Brigadier General Donald E. Jackson
Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division
60 Forsyth Street
Atlanta, GA 30303

Dear Brigadier General Donald E. Jackson:

We thank you for your ongoing attention to the issues that Lake Okeechobee releases are having in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee water system.  It is our hope your team will work as expeditiously as possible to move water from the Water Conservation Area 3A and allow water to flow south from Lake Okeechobee.  We also ask that you reassess within the Lake Okeechobee Release Schedule (LORS) how much water can be safely stored within the lake. 

Increasing water storage capacity south of the lake could allow for water to flow from Lake Okeechobee through southern canals instead of through the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers.  These rivers and their estuaries have been heavily inundated with fresh water releases from Lake Okeechobee rich in nitrogen and phosphorous, which contribute to environmental degradation in the waterways to the east and west of the lake.  We encourage both the Corps and the Fish and Wildlife Service to work to expedite appropriate deviations from the water management plan to move water out of the WCA.  As we await the additional water management options that will be made available upon completion of projects like the C-44 and C-43 reservoirs, we urge you to consider moving as much water as possible from Lake Okeechobee through treatment areas into the WCAs and other potential water storage areas south of the lake.

We also urge the Army Corps to reassess how much water can safely be held within the lake after investing over $300 million in dike repair in the last six years.  As the Army Corps has indicated, LORS was created to allow for adjustments, and we believe it is time for the Corps to reevaluate at what level the lake can retain water while balancing public safety with the extreme pollution caused by the discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers.   

Thank you again for your attention to this matter.

Patrick E. Murphy
Member of Congress

Trey Radel
Member of Congress

Corrine Brown
Member of Congress

Kathy Castor
Member of Congress

Ted Deutch
Member of Congress

Mario Diaz-Balart
Member of Congress

Lois Frankel
Member of Congress

Joe Garcia
Member of Congress

Alcee L. Hastings
Member of Congress

Bill Posey
Member of Congress

Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Member of Congress