Flooding of lake Okeechobee in Florida is a major environmental concern. The lake which is over half the size of Rhode Island has weak earthen levies that are prone to overflow. When there is a threat of flooding there are two directions to release water, into sugar cane fields or into The St. Lucie estuary in the East and Caloosahatchee River estuary in the West. Estuaries are a delicately balanced and important part of the ecosystems surrounding them. They are the fertile regions where the river and ocean meet and have a fragile mix of fresh and salt water. When freshwater from the lake is released into the estuaries it is catastrophic for the ecosystems, not to mention that the lake water is filled with pollutants from golf course and farming runoff to septic water. These frail breeding grounds are vital in the growth and reproduction of many sea creatures including the ones that people catch for livelihood.So not only is this problem detrimental to the environment but to the economies that surround it. And the worst part, the problem isn't new.
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