Audubon of Florida Executive Director Eric Draper wrote to the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) pointing out that the environment was harmed by water management decisions that allowed water from Lake Okeechobee to be delivered for sugarcane irrigation during this year’s record drought. Draper asked for recovery measures including cutbacks on delivery of water for sugarcane irrigation during times of drought.

As a result of excess water withdrawals and drought, the level of Lake Okeechobee is currently in violation of state rules.  Despite widespread and well-known forecasts of severe drought, water supply decisions made by the prior executive administration of the South Florida Water Management District favored continuing deliveries of Lake Okeechobee water for sugarcane irrigation and other consumptive uses.

“The restrictions placed on sugarcane irrigation were too late, too little and ultimately ineffective,” Eric Draper, Executive Director of Audubon of Florida wrote in a letter to Melissa Meeker, Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District on Monday.

Audubon called on the South Florida Water Management District to take recovery measures focused on conservation to guard against future water shortages. “It is time for the District to take action to ratchet back users,” Draper stated.

The rule in question, the Lake Okeechobee Minimum Flows and Levels violation, occurs when the Lake’s level falls below 11 feet for 80 days more than once in a six year period. The Florida Legislature established this rule to protect water resources from significant harm resulting from over allocation of water withdrawals. This year, the water body experienced significant harm including dry littoral zones, loss of apple snail habitat and failure of endangered Everglade Snail Kite nests. Public water supply in the city of West Palm Beach also was placed in jeopardy when Lake Okeechobee’s water levels were so low that it could not function as a back-up water supply.

Audubon hopes to work with the District under its new leadership to pursue a path that emphasizes water conservation and shared adversity between users.

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You can read press coverage regarding the rule violation at the Palm Beach Post and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.