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Box 106 mi. , DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT Letter to the Florida Congressional Delegation - To Be Signed By ALL 5 BCC Members D This spring we had an unnatural disaster in Martin County. El Nino rains caused Lake Okeechobee dis- charges which destroyed the St. Lucie Estuary and caused an epidemic of diseased fish that is still with us. At- tached is a packet on the St. Lucie Estuary and its current problems. We have been told that the only way to stop these damaging discharges from Lake Okeechobee is the Everglades Restudy Plan to change the entire South Florida water management system. We appreciate the hard work of the Florida Delegation on continuing funding for Everglades Restora- tion. For us, the Kissimmee Restoration, Critical Projects and C&SF Restudy funding all vitally important to saving and restoring OUR river. The Ten Mile Creek Critical Project on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River now has preliminary design approval and is ready to go - only to be stymied by funding shortfalls. We are very disappointed with the funding recommendations of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. At this point it appears that full funding will not be included in WRDA 98. If you know of any- thing that we can do to help you re -instate full funding for Kissimmee Restoration, Critical Projects and the C&SF Restudy, please let us know. If full funding is, indeed, impossible for this year, we need to know what we can do to assure that the Senate funding'recommendation is not further reduced in Conference Committee. As you can see from the enclosed packet, our interest in these projects is neither theoretical nor provin- cial. The projects Martin County needs to stop the discharges that are killing our River, are the same projects that Florida and the entire Everglades Ecosystem need for restoration and for water supply. Without continued full funding of the whole set of projects, dirty water from the Kissimmee will continue to run too quickly into Lake Okeechobee which will continue to discharge to the St. Lucie Estuary in a repeat of this spring's disaster. Thank you for your help. What can we do to help you? Sincerely, 5 BCC Members DRAFT -DRAFT Briefing Paper. St. Lucie River and Everglades Restoration Funding KISSIMMEE RESTORATION: When the winding 100 mile Kissimmee River was changed to a 50 mile ditch, dirtier water came into Lake Okeechobee faster. Without storage and cleanup in the marshes and winding oxbows of the old Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee fills up faster with polluted runoff. Discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie River happen more often. Kissimmee Restoration is an approved Corps Project that has already been through the design and approval process. Projects are ongoing subject to sufficient funding. THE EVERGLADES RESTUDY: This plan was authorized by Congress in 1992 to rebuild the South Florida flood control system to restore the Everglades and other natural areas negatively impacted by the original federal project. It includes restoration of the St. Lucie Estuary, the Caloosahatchee, and Florida Bay. The Study is now complete. The Plan will go through public hearings this fall. In the spring it will go to the Water Management District and to the Florida legislature. In lune of 1999, it will go be- fore Congress for approval. Without adequate funding, it may not even get through the approval pro- cess. To implement, a statewide and a national commitment will be necessary. CRITICAL PROJECTS: Congress has already approved (but not appropriated) $75 Million for Critical Projects that will help jump start the Restudy. These are projects that can be started immediately and have a significant positive effect. The Ten Mile Creek Project on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River is on the Critical Projects List. It will store and cleanup dirty runoff currently going into the St. Lucie. Preliminary planning is complete and the project is ready to go to final design - as soon as money is available. Critical Projects in other parts of the system will also help the St. Lucie by reducing Lake dis- charges. July 21, 1998