Lake Okeechobee

A massive pump station to retrieve polluted water released from Lake Okeechobee into the headwaters of the Caloosahatchee River is completed — now it will sit idle.

Far warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures are causing hurricane predictors to raise the number of tropical storms expected in coming months, but it's not motiving the man in charge of Lake Okeechobee's elevated water level from lowering it

With the state’s waterways swollen and stressed since Hurricane Ian, widespread outbreaks are feared again this summer.

In the approval of the largest sum of money dedicated to the environment in any Florida budget, environmentalists say one key action was missed.

Miami isn’t known for its majestic mountains. The tallest peaks in the South Florida landscape, in fact, are a series of landfills. The highest point south of Lake Okeechobee is the dump at Monarch Hill Renewable Energy Park, better known as Mount Trashmore, which towers 225 smelly feet above northern Broward County.

The water level now stands at 16.25 feet. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' goal has always been to keep releases from the lake "at a minimum."

By analyzing 9 years of data, Florida researchers recently proved that toxic algae blooms are exacerbated by nutrient-rich freshwater releases. The results confirm what scientists, activists, fisherman and others have observed anecdotally for years.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the veto of controversial SB 2508, a Lake Okeechobee water supply bill that environmental advocates strongly opposed.

The hope of the 35-acre pilot program is to find a way to successfully clear a body of water, or parts of it, of hyacinth without using chemicals or other extreme measures.

It provided a glimpse into how the researchers linked nitrogen inputs, from both inland and coastal sections of the watershed, to eventual red tide intensity.

Mechanical harvesters will be used to collect invasive floating plants and the plants will then be processed and pumped to nearby hayfields to enhance soil.

The money was included in a 2023 budget unveiled Monday.