Yesterday, on Valentine’s Day, the estuaries did not receive sweet news. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, working to manage water together with their local sponsor, the South Florida Water Management District, announced that they will begin significant discharges (1800+/- cfs) from Lake Okeechobee (16.37 ft.) beginning Saturday, 2-17-24.
The aerials below taken by my husband, Ed Lippisch, on 2-14-24 around noon, 30 minutes before high tide, can serve as a baseline for comparison as our waters decline.
Presently, there is no representation on the South Florida Water Management District governing board as far as a traditional sitting Martin County representative. Appointed in 2019 by Governor DeSantis, I was removed in June 2023, really due to the power of the President of the Senate and those influencing her, for comments I made at a governing board meeting in February of 2022 in response to Senate Bill 2508, a bill undermining the District, water control, and the EAA Reservoir. In the the following months, I was not reappointed, as I could have been, by Governor DeSantis, nor was anyone else. Thus the seat sits open at this critical time. I believe I was removed not just because of my comments, but because of my knowledge and my record for speaking the truth. By a long and cruel silence we are being punished.
I will continue to advocate with the pen and with my voice for the St. Lucie River as I have since 2008 when I first became a Town of Sewall’s Point Commissioner and began to learn the dark history of Florida’s water policy. I want to thank the thousands of people and the many organizations who have helped in this battle. We must continue to “shine the light” and change water policy for the better as we have done and will continue to do. As we know, it’s a long and rocky ride.
~Jacqui
A few of the ACOE Periodic Scientist Call slides 2-14-24 that I screenshot 
Jacqui, yes you were the most knowledgeable clean water representative on the Governing Board! We miss you and thank you for your service! Yes, it’s unfortunate the Big Ag lobby and Big Sugar lobby is so strong in FL; so strong that the FL Senate President would not allow a Senate vote on your renomination. 😢
Thank you❤️💧
Why can’t the EPA put a stop to this? I took a beautiful picture of a manatee off my dock feeding on sea grass in blue-green water last week. When they decide to stop the discharges it still takes months for the water at my dock to recover. The white sand disappears and becomes a mucky brown color, most likely contaminated.
It is so unfortunate. The discharge waters as non point pollution do not qualify. This must be changed. Love to your manatees.
Way to go Jacqui and Ed! Keep up the great work!
Yesterday my planton net was full of fish larvae, after Saturday it will be gone.
I can never understand how we can pass a law saying we can’t send dirty water south, but we can send it to the most important nursery to the atlantic ocean in all of North American! We are killing the fishes vital spawning area.
Love Ya,
Capt. Nancy
♥️
Keep up the good fight Jacqui! All eyes 👀 on the discharges.
Love you Nancy!
Thank you both for all your hard work. ♥
♥️💧
Is there a discharge being sent to the Gulf Coast at this time also? Thanks for the info.
Yes. More than here.
The USACE has been managing the Lake according to the new proposed schedule, LOSOM. LOSOM intentionally keeps the Lake HIGH and is a disaster for Lake ecology. Destroying the SAV that cleans the dirty water coming in from the north. Opponents of LOSOM have pointed out that a high Lake increases the risks of damaging discharges to the St. Lucie, even during the dry season.
That is exactly what is happening today. There has not even been a rain event! But, by not using small pulse releases to keep the Lake near 15 feet and dropping to 13 feet before the end of the dry season, we now are faced with long term releases and any even moderate rain event will be a disaster for the St. Lucie.
LOSOM is a permanent threat to the health of the Heart of the Everglades and willl result in continued damaging discharges out the C 43 and C 44.
LOSOM needs to be revised with the health of both Lake O and the estuaries considered.
🙏♥️💧