Related Lake Okeechobee videos that support further investigation into Lake Okeechobee pollution.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is leading a new, innovative project to remove invasive aquatic plants and evaluate nutrients removed to improve water quality in Lake Okeechobee in South Florida.
This effort is part of the FWC’s strategy to use a variety of tools and explore new techniques to best manage for quality fish and wildlife habitat in Florida. While it is too soon to tell if the FWC will be able to use this technique on a larger scale, staff are excited about the possibility of having a new tool in the toolbox. In partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District, the work began March 8, 2022 and will cover 35 acres on the lake. Mechanical harvesters will be used to collect invasive floating plants such as water hyacinths and then the plants will be processed into a slurry or semi-liquid mixture. The slurry of plants will be pumped to nearby hayfields to enhance soil. The FWC will evaluate whether the project will benefit both the water quality of the lake as well as agricultural lands receiving the slurry mix. Reducing invasive plants and their associated nutrients in Lake Okeechobee has long-term benefits to the lake and the fish and wildlife that live there. Managing invasive aquatic plants is also important for recreational opportunities for the public and to maintain accessible navigation. Unmanaged invasive plants have a variety of negative impacts which may include reducing biodiversity and ecosystem health, impeding navigation, reducing water quality, and causing flooding issues. While this project includes unique transporting methods to dispose invasive plants and aims to utilize resources efficiently it may not be effective in all locations and situations. The FWC uses a variety of techniques, including biological controls, mechanical removal and herbicide treatments to manage invasive aquatic plants in Florida. Using an integrative pest management approach using a combination of techniques often achieves the greatest results in managing invasive plants.
An incredible, absolutely enormous transformation is happening in Florida, on a scale that’s never been seen before. Home to Disney land, Space shuttle Launches and the Everglades Florida is the fastest growing state in the US, it has the 4th biggest economy and is now the 3rd most populated state in the USA with 1000 people a day moving there for its temperate climate, favorable tax laws and expanding businesses community. Approximately 139,670 sq km in size, most of Florida is situated on a peninsula that’s surrounded on three sides by two main bodies of water, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean it has 1,350 miles of coastline and over 825 miles of beach. Florida is composed of mainly marshland, swampland, lakes, springs, and rivers. And is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot for Its unique geography and ecological diversity. Florida is one of the countrys top tourist destinations, tourism is its biggest industry drawing millions of visitors each year to its dozens of state and national parks. In 2022 it had a record 137.6 million visitors, which contributed over 100 billion dollars to the states economy. One of the sunshine state’s most notable tourist attractions is the Florida Everglades, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and 1.5 million acres in size, the Florida Everglades is one of the largest wetlands in the world, home to endangered, rare, and exotic wildlife, its often thought of as a swamp, However the Glades are actually a slow-moving river flowing over an area that’s 40 miles wide and 100 miles long, from the south shore of Lake Okeechobee to the mangrove estuaries of Florida Bay.
