Letters to the Editor - Land Purchase Vital

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Letters to the Editor
Palm Beach Post
February 28, 2015

Land purchase vital to restoring estuaries

Thank you for your Feb. 21 editorial, “Water officials should put land buy on agenda,” supporting the purchase of land from U.S. Sugar. Historically, water from Lake Okeechobee always flowed to the Everglades through sawgrass prairies, tree islands and sloughs.

This is the only route that provides enough flow to reduce the damaging releases to the estuaries.

In the last 100 years, however, we have been deconstructing this environment. We pumped water in new directions, such as opening a connection between the St. Lucie River and Lake O. On the other side of the coast, we opened a connection to the Caloosahatchee River.

We are killing these ecosystems with too much fresh water. We have to change course and buy land south of the lake.

Only a significant increase in land available to accept more water will provide this required flow. We can do this while still completing existing projects.

We can preserve agriculture and still purchase this land. A portion can remain in crops. The water can flow around the urban areas to protect those who live there.

The economy will benefit from the jobs created by building new reservoirs and storm-treatment areas. It is a win-win for everyone in Florida.

DREW MARTIN, LAKE WORTH

Editor’s note: Drew Martin is conservation chairman of the Loxahatchee Group of the Sierra Club.