Locals share concerns after Lake Okeechobee ranked dirtiest in the US
By Caleb Califano
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FLORIDA (WPBF) — A new study has ranked Lake Okeechobee, Florida’s largest freshwater lake, as the dirtiest lake in the country. The news comes as little surprise to those who live and fish there.
Local fisherman Rob Alfano, who has spent decades on the water, said he was disappointed but not shocked when he heard the news.
“Coincidentally, the best lake was Lake Superior, and I was just at Lake Superior, looked down at the water, and I kind of took a glass and drank it. It was so beautiful. Not the case here,” Alfano said.
The ranking comes from Lake.com, a vacation rental website that evaluated 100 of the nation’s largest lakes using recent chemical data. Researchers cited high levels of detectable lead and phosphorus in the lake.
Alfano said the lake’s condition has worsened dramatically over the years.
“It’s a completely different lake,” he said. “There’s an area called the Pass where you go through that used to be full of lily pads and pepper grass, all native grass and crystal clear and in good shape. Now it’s just a big bowl.”
He added that the perception of a dirty lake doesn’t just impact the water.
“The people up north read it, and they don’t want to come down. They don’t want to book guide trips,” Alfano said.
As for the cause, Alfano believes the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s chemical spraying of vegetation contributes to the problem by killing plants and creating muck at the lake’s bottom.
“Where does all that go when it’s dead to the bottom? So we have tons of dead vegetation building up on the bottom of the lake, and where areas used to have nice, clear bottom, you stick your rod in and you’re going through a foot and a half of muck,” he said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District both say they are aware of the study’s findings.
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