Okeechobee Runoff Causing Major Issues

While environmentalists and avid fishermen are aware of the issues concerning polluted waters, not everyone has climbed aboard the boat of information Studies have shown that freshwater discharges from Lake Okeechobee are causing a negative stir in runoff waterways nearby. The problem with this is that the waters from Lake Okeechobee are flooding, picking up liter and pesticides from the shores and flowing into the main water source. As the water rises, it feeds further out into different bodies of water causing a ripple effect of polluted water expanding its reaches.

This is not the first time an issue with polluted water has escalated, causing larger problems to occur. We saw it before with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, making it nearly impossible to fish in those regions, but also damaging much of the area’s marine life and surrounding areas. Even in the past water pollution was a big topic issue. In the state of Maryland where the Chesapeake Bay runoff has killed a large pollution of crabs and fish and damaged a significant part of that area’s ecosystem, the state had to mandate a rain tax. This tax decreed that whenever it rained, a fee would be taken from Maryland residents in order to try and restore and preserve the Bay’s waters.

Evidence of water pollution is nothing new as the demographics will show you. The problem lies a little closer to home. Our use of pesticides, dumping waste into waterways, littering, oil leaks and spills, toxic deposits from factories and so much more goes on to destroy our beautiful ecosystems. Unfortunately, humankind is more concerned with technological pursuits than persevering our home and the homes of others.

If the problem is not resolved it will only worsen resulting in a continuation of crises. The water in the Okeechobee Lake needs cleaning if we are to see the return of healthy aquatic life. Fish repopulation will shrink rapidly if not and as we should know; this chain effect will reach to other parts of the waters. With luck, the problem will be addressed early on, but it is still our part to become more aware of these on growing issues and try not to be contributors to them.