Editorial: Expedited Lake Okeechobee dike a plus, but the trouble runs deeper

Those inclined to find a silver lining even among the darkest clouds may find solace in the recent announcement that repairs to the aging Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee will be expedited.

Pardon those of us, who, while grateful for that progress, will continue holding our collective breath for several more years.

One reason we’ll hold our breath is that in the background of our minds is the catastrophic rain that accompanied Hurricane Harvey in Texas last year. Thousands of lives and an unfathomable amount of property are at stake in towns around the lake, should the dike breach.

Another reason to hold our breath is that the expedited repairs won’t help with the current putrid discharges now harming some Southwest Florida and east coast waterways with toxic algae, not to mention the fouled lake itself.

Yet another is that a reinforced dike holding more water isn’t “the” answer and without other expensive pieces of the puzzle also in place, a too-deep lake asked to hold too much water could bring damage to its own vegetation and health.

Silver lining

The Army Corps of Engineers recently announced the expedited timeline for repairs. U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Naples, says $206 million supported by the House totals $514 million to complete the work by 2022-23 instead of the end of next decade.

“Every year saved on these repairs is a year sooner that harmful releases into our ecosystem will stop,” Rooney said in a statement.

Led by Gov. Rick Scott, the Legislature has allocated $100 million from the state budget to reinforce the dike.

“The completion of the dike is critical to the communities surrounding Lake Okeechobee, as well as part of the broader Everglades restoration efforts taking place in the Sunshine State,” U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, and eastern Collier’s congressman, said in a statement.

Dark clouds

This fall will mark 15 years since the Naples Daily News published its national award-winning “Deep Trouble: The Gulf in Peril” 15-day series that explored the causes and effects of Gulf of Mexico pollution in regions from the Texas border to the Florida Keys.

For the Southwest Florida portion of that series, Daily News photographers captured sickening images of blackened, nutrient-rich water around Lake Okeechobee. The report cited other causes of pollution along the Caloosahatchee River and elsewhere. Some perspective on how long ago that was: A child in diapers that year is now in high school. The lake was known for its fishing, not as a toilet bowl that’s now getting fortified sides.

Yet here we sit, fuming over toxic discharges down the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers that are threatening our estuaries, meanwhile damaging the region’s economy as word and photos of pea-green water spread to would-be visitors.

We mention this because some want to blame only elected officials in office now who weren’t even on the political radar back when the Daily News series documented the pollution problem 15 years ago.

Meanwhile, some in today’s Florida congressional delegation have been serving in state and federal elective office this entire time.

This is an election year, so it’s appropriate to hold elected officials accountable for what’s being done — and not being done — to protect the lake, rivers, estuaries and Gulf.

In doing so, let’s be sure to hold accountable all policymakers who haven’t tackled this problem with fervor for 15 years, and not unfairly heap blame when lawmakers make progress — even if it’s not the complete silver lining we’d hope to see.