Caloosahatchee-St. Lucie Rivers Corridor Advisory Committee

Nine major watershed-estuarine systems comprise South Florida’s complex and vital ecosystem, including the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers and estuaries.

The St. Lucie River and Estuary is essential to the environmental and economic well-being of Martin and St. Lucie counties. This historic, scenic river offers a variety of commercial, recreational and educational activity including fishing, crab trapping, photography, recreational boating, painting, writing and environmental studies. However, increasing residential and commercial development, industry and agriculture has taken a toll on the health of the St. Lucie Estuary ecosystem. Extreme salinity fluctuations and ever-increasing inflows have resulted in decreasing seagrass and oyster populations.

The Caloosahatchee River and Estuary extend about 70 miles from Lake Okeechobee to San Carlos Bay on Florida's southwest coast. The large system combines the Gulf of Mexico waters with freshwater inflows from the river, sloughs and overland sheetflows in the river basin. The lower areas of the river are characterized by a shallow bay, extensive seagrass beds and sand flats. Extensive mangrove forests dominate undeveloped areas of the shoreline. Water quality within the Caloosahatchee River basin is threatened by altered freshwater inputs from Lake Okeechobee and the watersheds, nutrient loads from agricultural activities and overall urban growth and development.

In order to best preserve, protect and restore these two rivers and their surrounding estuaries, water managers, using the best science and data available, regulate freshwater discharges. Regulating the discharges is critical because the integrity of the riverine and estuarine ecosystems is dependent on water quality. When water quality diminishes, so does the overall condition of the system. The estuarine environment is extremely sensitive to large freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee and the local watersheds. Scientists have focused on analyzing the effects of freshwater discharges on salinity levels and how the altered salinity levels affect seagrasses, oyster beds and other organisms living within these habitats.

As a result, Florida agencies are collaborating to produce a broad range of data and tools to better manage the freshwater input into these systems. In August 2006, the Caloosahatchee-St. Lucie Rivers Corridor Advisory Committee was formed. Comprised of community leaders, environmental organizations and business owners, the committee brings extensive knowledge of the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers. The collective expertise in resource management can provide valuable insight to the operation and management of Lake Okeechobee and associated discharges.

The committee is tasked with preparing and submitting a report by February 1, 2007 to the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection with recommendations regarding, but not limited to:

• Scientifically viable, economically feasible projects, programs and regulations that address or mitigate the impacts of high-level discharges from Lake Okeechobee on the Caloosahatchee-St. Lucie estuaries;
• Ongoing projects and plans authorized pursuant to the Lake Okeechobee Protection Plan Program and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan under 373.4592, F.S.;
• Environmentally and economically feasible projects to remove accumulated sedimentation from Lake Okeechobee;
• Alternative treatment strategies, projects and best management practices to more effectively manage the hydrology of the corridor and minimize adverse ecological effects upon the receiving waters from Lake Okeechobee discharges; and
• Long-term funding for implementation of the projects and programs.

The committee will hold five public hearings within the Caloosahatchee-St. Lucie Rivers Corridor to collect public input.