Concerned citizens speak out against use of chemical herbicides on Lake O

Posted 3/13/23

Concerned citizens spoke out against the use of chemical herbicides to control invasive aquatic plants ...

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Concerned citizens speak out against use of chemical herbicides on Lake O

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WEST PALM BEACH – Concerned citizens spoke out against the use of chemical herbicides to control invasive aquatic plants on Lake Okeechobee during the March 9 meeting.

“Red segmented aquatic worms are one of the smallest animals in our waters but might be one of the most important,” said Mike Nipper. They can absorb oxygen out of the water.

“In a healthy ecosystem, there can be up to 2,000 of these in every square meter of bottom. They improve water quality when they wriggle around on the bottom because they stir up beneficial bacteria that might otherwise remain trapped in the sediment,” he said.

Aquatic worms eat decaying plant matter, he explained.

‘The problem is when you spray our waters with herbicides, it kills these animals. They actually die two different ways. The lucky worms die instantly when they come into contact with all the poisons. The unlucky ones have to suffocate when the rotting plants sink to the bottom and rob all the oxygen out of the water,” he said.

The death of the worms hurts the ecosystem, Nipper explained. The worms are an important part of the food supply for fish, turtles, frogs and wading birds.

“These worms make up a large portion of the catfish’s diet,” he said. The catfish industry was once an important part of the lake area economy. Commercial catfishing has been virtually eliminated on Lake O because the catfish are no longer thriving, he continued. “They are starving to death.”

“You need to stop spraying immediately so we can save what little wildlife we have left,” he said.

Jim Watt said the lion’s share of the dangerous chemicals used to control plants on Lake Okeechobee come from China, when less expensive alternatives are available from American companies.

Herbicide spraying has increased dramatically since 2001, said Watt. He presented the SFWMD governing board with a packet of information about the herbicide spraying and asked them to give it to Gov. Ron DeSantis. “I’ve already given it to Donald Trump,” he added.

“There is more to this, a lot more,” said Watt.

Lake Okeechobee, herbicides, chemical spraying, China

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