Why Is Lake Okeechobee An Integral Part Of The Greater Everglades Ecosystem?
Lake Okeechobee is a direct source of drinking water for many communities around the Lake, and a back-up source of water for cities on the Lower East and West coasts. (Water quality problems in the Lake accordingly have a direct impact on the purity, taste, and healthfulness of water flowing from community taps.) Okeechobee is also one of the nations premier recreational sites, a mainstay of Floridas recreational, agricultural, and fishing economy, and important habitat for resident, migratory, and endangered species in the greater Everglades ecosystem. Finally, and perhaps most importantly given the massive federal and state expenditures now being made on restoration of the Everglades, Lake Okeechobee is a vital source of water for the Everglades ecosystem. Even though Lake water is currently too dirty to be pumped directly into the Everglades (and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan contains no satisfactory plan to remedy this), that water remains essential to the restorati
