Northern water flow into Lake O a cause for quality issues

Reporter: Stephanie Byrne Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published: Updated:
Credit: WINK News.

While many feel Lake Okeechobee’s vast waters are to blame for the water quality issues in the state, others are looking north. We spoke to an expert who has watched the issues evolve.

Born and raised in Clewiston, Ramon Iglesias, co-founder of Anglers for Lake Okeechobee, grew up enjoying Lake O, and he also is the general manager of Roland & Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort.

“Don’t judge Lake Okeechobee unless you’ve come out here and been on the water,” Iglesias said.

Iglesias is concerned about the amount of water and what’s in it when it enters from the north.

“We’re fighting for storage north of the lake,” Iglesias said.

A map from South Florida Water Management District gives a better idea of how water from the north flows into Lake O and then eventually south, contributing to the need for releases. While there aren’t releases right now, that could change.

“If you had a child and that child’s in the tub, and water’s just flowing over that tub because they just didn’t turn the water off, would you mop up the floor or shut off the water first?” Iglesias said.

SFWMD announced Friday it will hold water north of Lake O to keep it from entering the lake.

Dr. Mike Parsons, FGCU professor and member of Gov. DeSantis’ Blue-Green Algae Task Force, said it’s not a matter of water quantity but quality.

“It’s a much different beast, I guess, north of the lake,” Parsons said. “There’s a lot more landowners. There’s a lot more different use. You have differences in soil, so it’s a more complicated issue. So it’s not as easy to manage the nutrients there.”

And Parsons said it’s an issue the task force plans to undertake.

“The northern watershed is our primary focus right now,” Parsons said. “And when you look at the numbers, somewhere on the order of 78 to 80 percent of all the nitrogen coming into Lake Okeechobee is from that northern watershed.”

Iglesias believes it will take everyone coming together to find a solution.

“The water quality issues that we face today in Florida is not a Lake Okeechobee issue,” Iglesias said.

State of Lake O after Hurricane Dorian 

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