Okeechobee Under Siege
by Brent Propst

For many years now, the second largest freshwater lake in the United States, and once considered the bass-fisherman’s Mecca, Lake Okeechobee has been under extreme pressure. The fishing has been excellent on the lake and this great fishery has drawn people to the state of Florida for years on end. These people who return year after year help support the economy around the lake and help the local business strive. Many people say the pressure is from the high water that has been on the lake for nearly four years. Yes, for many years the lake has experienced some above normal levels of water, but this is not the main reason that the lake is in trouble. Lake Okeechobee is in trouble for many different reasons and no one else seems to want to write the truth about this great lake. I am here to explain why the lake is in trouble. There are three major problems with the lake and today they will finally be brought to life.

First, let’s look at the Army Corp. of Engineers. This organization deals with water quality, weed control, and the water level. For many years the Army Corp. of Engineers has been saying that the lake has been in trouble due to the high water levels. Yes, the water has been high on the lake, but this water gradually rose to the level of 16.5 feet. That water was not dumped into the lake in a matter of a week. The weeds on the lake bottom will grow, as the water gets deeper. The weeds need sunlight to produce oxygen and they will grow towards the light. I know that there are some weeds in the lake that need the shallower water but for the most part, the weeds will grow as long as they are allowed to. I personally have seen massive grass beds one week and then when you return the following week to find that these beds are gone. When I asked the Army Corp. what happened to the weeds, they said it was the high water that killed the hydrilla. The only thing they did not realize was that the water was already dropping. The Army Corp. of Engineers has been hiding a machine in the western part of the lake for approximately one year. This machine is used according to the Army Corp. to “remove tusic material” according to Angie Charles in their Clewiston office. What this machine actually does is that it completely cuts all the weeds out of the area that it is working in. We have also heard the workers in their airboats telling their partners that they have some chemicals left and when their partners tell them that they cannot take it back to the shop, one begins to wonder where it gets dumped. The workers then proceed over to a bullrush head and dump the remainder of the chemicals on the weeds. Ms. Charles of the Army Corp, stated that it is not their policy to spray bullrushes. This is an outrageous act. In a matter of one year, I have witnessed the whole west side of Lake Okeechobee go from a bass haven with flourishing, healthy weeds, to a gar-infested pool with no weeds to be found anywhere. There are many different ways to they could control the weeds. The Army Corp. uses two different chemicals, one is called Reward and the other is 24D. These are liquid chemicals that are pushed around by the wind causing the destruction of every living plant that it touches. There are pellets available on the market that only treat the specific area that they are deposited in, and there is a “cutter” that cuts the weeds from the sand leaving no stubs to regrow. There are several other lakes around Florida that have plans for vegetation control that have proven to be very effective. These lakes still have weeds in them and are not baron like Okeechobee is right now.

The second major reason the lake is in the shape that it is in is largely due to the water being dumped into the lake. This water is run off from the ranches, water dumped from other bodies of water, and one of the biggest contributors is the back pumping from the sugar fields and other agricultural businesses in the south end of the lake. Just imagine the amount of chemicals and fertilizers that are utilized on these fields. It seems that Lake Okeechobee is a private “holding pond” for the large industries located around the south end of the lake. When they need water, they just pump it out of the lake and onto their fields. After flooding their fields, they in turn pump the water full of nitrogen and phosphorous obtained from the fertilizers the companies use, back into the lake. Currently, all the locks on the lake are closed right now to hold in what little water is there left due to the drought-like conditions that we are facing. Yet, there are rumors floating around that at night, the Clewiston locks get opened so that the big industry can have the water they need. If these big agricultural industries need water, they should take some of that land that they own and operate on, and build their own holding pond instead of utilizing our lake and letting them destroy it. And oh yes, they do have their own lakes on their property. If anyone remembers, there was a well-known fisherman from Clewiston who fished some of these lakes on his show one time. These lakes, if you recall, were pristine because the companies’ biologists made sure that their water was clean. The reason their water is clean is due to the fact that they dump their “run-off” water back into Lake Okeechobee. I spoke with Judy Sanchez of U.S. Sugar in Clewiston Florida. She informed me that the water they utilize is placed into their canals by the South Florida Water Management District. Ms. Sanchez also stated that, “They are allowed to use one tenth of an inch of water per acre per week.” I was also informed that they have been under a “Phase 3 Water Restriction” since November 29, 2000, and that, “[Their] crops are only getting 20% of the water that they need.” Florida is also currently under a statewide burn ban, which prohibits anyone and everyone from outdoor burning due to the extremely dry conditions that we are facing. And yet, it seems that U.S. Sugar burns whenever they want to. When I asked Ms. Sanchez about this, her comments were that, “They get permits from the forestry division to burn due to [the fact that] they have the trained staff to handle whatever might happen.” There always seems to be some form of “back scratching” going on between politicians and big business. It is even more ironic that during the 2000 Presidential Election, President Bush spent three days in Clewiston, Florida, campaigning. Did I mention that Clewiston is a very small town with a minimal population, but oops, I almost forgot, there is some really big money down there.

The third reason the lake is in trouble is the commercial netting that is continuously going on. Don McCall of the Florida Fish and Game Commission, Okeechobee Division, provided me with the following information. The nets that are used are called “Haul Seine Nets.” The commercial netters are only to have nets no longer then 1600 yards, they must maintain a minimum distance of one mile from emergent vegetation, and they are allowed to take everything EXCEPT Largemouth Bass, Crappie, and Chain Pickerel. Back in 1996, commercial gill netting was banned in all coastal waters in the state of Florida. When I voted for this to happen, I thought that there would not be any gill netting allowed in any Florida waters, but I guess another political loophole fell through. These netters are in the north end of the lake one day and then in the south end the next. The nets do not only catch the fish they are allowed to; they catch anything and everything that is present in the area. I have seen dead fish floating for over a mile after the netters have left an area. These nets also indiscriminately remove the weeds that are on the bottom of the lake. What happens to all the bass and other game fish that are caught in these nets? Well if all the gar and the shell cracker are floating dead, do you think the bass somehow managed to stay alive and the netters let them go? I am sure that the bass died just like all the other fish, but they have figured a way to make the bass sink otherwise they might get into trouble for killing a game fish.

I am not saying that any single one of these reasons I am referring to are the main reason for the lake being in trouble, but all of them put together are causing a real problem. If the vegetation were in the lake, then this would filter out a good portion of the sediment, nitrogen, phosphorous, fertilizer, runoff, and anything else that is in the lake. Four years ago the clarity on the lake was of a stained color, today it is a chocolate brown color that never seems to improve. The weeds kept the lake clear, under control, and well balanced. With all the boats on this lake year round, they would keep the weeds under control to where people would be able to navigate. Mother Nature also has always taken care of herself, and when you start to try and do it yourself, things always seem to get messed up. Look at the Kissimmee River; the Army Corp. straightened the river out many, many years ago. After years of testing, they have concluded that there is no form of natural filtration and now they are going to spend millions of dollars to put the river back to where it originally was. Once again, messing around with Mother Nature does not pay off in the long run.

Now is the time for everyone interested in having a place to take your children and your grandchildren to what was once the leading big bass fishery of the United States, to take a stand. Get together and send letters to the state demanding accountability for what is going on. If we do not do anything now, it might just be to late. I love fishing this lake and I am sure that I am not alone.

By: Brent Propst
Gambler Boat National Team Member

More Articles By Brent