Lake Okeechobee is one of the country’s best bass lakes and a heck of a place to load a cooler full of bluegills. But in recent years, Lake O’ has been an environmental nightmare for the waters downstream, where nutrient loads from the lake have caused massive algae blooms and fish kills in coastal estuaries important to recreational anglers and communities.
Weakness in the Lake’s dike structure is a big part of the problem. It has forced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release excessive discharges that cause those algae blooms.
Recently Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced plans to push a $50 million proposal to the legislature speed up repairs for the Herbert Hoover Dike at Lake Okeechobee as part of next year’s fiscal year budget. Repairs to the federally operated dike were expected to be completed by 2025, and the $50 million would cut three years from that completion date. The total cost of the repair is $1.7 billion, and the Corps is about halfway through the restoration.
Scott has already met to discuss the issue with President Donald Trump, who said he would work hand-in-hand with Scott to make sure the repairs were completed quickly.