March 30, 2020 - Palmetto Bay, Fla. – The Everglades Foundation today released the following statement, attributed to its CEO Eric Eikenberg, applauding Colonel Andrew Kelly and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District for their decision to maintain beneficial flows to the Caloosahatchee River.
“These freshwater flows will help maintain healthy salinity conditions across the estuary and will allow these waters and the surrounding communities of Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sanibel, and Captiva to continue to recover from the devastating toxic algae and red tide of 2018.
“We are grateful the Colonel and his staff, working in conjunction with the South Florida Water Management District, made the decision to protect our environment and our tourism-based economy that is already suffering from the stresses of COVID-19. We are hopeful lower lake levels will, once again, aid water managers in avoiding harmful, high-volume discharges this summer.
“It is critical key projects, like the C-43 Reservoir and the Everglades Reservoir, be completed as soon as possible to increase options for water managers to distribute water to where the Everglades needs it most. In the meantime, it is vital managers use their existing flexibility to distribute benefits to the environment, the economy and the greatest number of people, even directing more water south from Lake Okeechobee when possible.”