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Water Resources Development Act could have huge impact on ongoing water issues

Posted at 4:46 PM, Sep 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-02 09:46:18-04

Discharges from Lake Okeechobee have gone on for months and Jennie Pawlowsky, the co-founder of the Facebook page Toxic 18, has documented them.

"Page is pretty active," said Pawlowsky.

She says it's all about building momentum to get something done. "If it wasn't for the documentation then they wouldn't have been able to push for everything in Washington D.C."

Everything meaning what's in the Water Resources and Development Act.

It's legislation that authorizes a planned EAA Reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee which the South Florida Water ManagemDistrict says will reduce discharges by about 65 percent.

Martin County Ecosystem Manager John Maehl says the bill includes a lot of good projects for Florida.

It includes and amendment to reevaluate the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule and funding for the Army Corps of Engineers and their research.

"They will be funded to come out with some mitigation strategies or some solutions to treating blue-green algae," said Maehl.

He says this is a crucial bill that can help the county's water quality issues.

Right now residents are waiting for the U.S. Senate to vote on the measure.