Florida to buy land from sugar corporation to restore Everglades

This is huge news. The state of Florida is planning to buy 185,000 acres from U.S. Sugar Corp. for Everglades restoration, according to the Sarasota Herald Tribune and many other sources.

I feel as though I've woken up in an alternate-reality world. Who would have thought? This is an even bigger land deal than the Babcock Ranch from a couple years ago.

Could this be the beginning of the end of the problem the Everglades has with phosphates? And water-flow problems? And ... so much more?

Rains bring water flow into Lake Okeechobee

All this rain we've been having is paying off for Lake Okeechobee, according to the news, like this article in the Orlando Sentinel. Thanks to the rain, water is flowing from the Kissimmee River south into the lake -- for the first time in eight months! Lake O is still three to four feet below normal, the article says.

Water flow into and out of Lake O is a sensitive subject. If you're not familiar with it, here's just a tiny bit of history. Water used to flow naturally into the lake from Central Florida rivers, then south into the Everglades and on into Florida Bay. But after hurricanes caused the lake to flood the farming communities that had sprung up around the lake -- especially the 1928 hurricane that killed around 2,500 people -- the lake was dammed. Now the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the flow of water. Too little or too much water, and the ecosystem can suffer. Many people who live to the east and west of the lake, where the Caloosahatchee River flows into the Gulf of Mexico and the St. Lucie River flows out to the Atlantic Ocean, are concerned about water releases into these rivers. Too little water into the Everglades can cause saltwater intrusion and may be one of the reasons Florida Bay is suffering. Maintaining a water-flow balance seems hard. The Army Corps is said to be looking into new ways to maintain a better balance. Let's hope so, for the sake of our rivers, estuaries and Everglades.

Peace River's biggest woe is too many people

As more homes hook into utility systems, increased reliance on the river for water is among reasons cited for a 30% flow decrease in 30 years - Jan. 29, Charlotte Sun Herald