The lake is potentially one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the United States, as shown by the 1928 hurricane. During big storms, water is released from the lake into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie canals. Massive water discharges, however, damage downstream estuaries. Water officials are experimenting with a less harmful discharge schedule to be used during non-emergencies. Everglades National Park has suffered as water quality and quantity have declined over the last century.
Environmentalists say the park needs more water and at appropriate times.
Because the park for years was given a low priority by water managers, it sometimes received too much water during historically dry seasons and too little during wet seasons. Agricultural areas received much of the water the park should have gotten, biologists contend, and then sent dirty water into the rest of the Everglades. Land acquisition, changing the course of some flood-control canals, and new discharge schedules are in the works. All rights reserved.