I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6700 
To modify the project for Central and Southern Florida to include public 
health and safety considerations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 
Mr. MAST introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To modify the project for Central and Southern Florida 
to include public health and safety considerations, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Harmful Dis-
charges Act’’. 
SEC. 2. MANAGEMENT OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN 
FLORIDA SYSTEM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The project for Central and 
Southern Florida authorized by Section 203 of Public Law 
80–858 (62 Stat. 1175), as amended, is modified to in-
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clude public health and safety as the primary consider-
ation for all authorized project purposes. Such authorized 
project purposes shall include— 
(1) flood control; 
(2) navigation; 
(3) water supply for agricultural irrigation, mu-
nicipalities, industry, and Everglades National Park; 
(4) regional groundwater control, and salinity 
control; 
(5) enhancement of fish and wildlife; and 
(6) recreation. 
(b) PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY.—For the pur-
poses of this Act, the term ‘‘public health and safety’’ is 
defined as follows: 
(1) Managing Lake Okeechobee and the Central 
and Southern Florida system— 
(A) to minimize the potential of toxic 
cyanobacteria blooms; and 
(B) prevent discharges containing cyano-
bacteria or related toxins into the St. Lucie and 
Caloosahatchee watersheds and other areas 
where such cyanobacteria or related toxins will 
cause or exacerbate public health risks. 
(2) Ensuring the integrity and stability of the 
Herbert Hoover Dike. 
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(3) Maintaining all provisions of applicable 
State and Federal water quality laws, policies and 
regulations. 
(4) Ensuring necessary water volume and qual-
ity reaches the Everglades National Park, Florida 
Bay and Caloosahatchee Watershed to restore the 
natural habitat. 
(c) MODIFICATION OF OPERATIONS.—The Secretary 
of the Army shall modify operations of all current project 
elements to ensure that public health and safety shall be 
the prime consideration for the operating regimes of these 
various elements. 
(d) MASTER
OPERATIONAL
MANUAL.—The Sec-
retary of the Army shall update or develop a Master Oper-
ational Manual, in cooperation with the State of Florida, 
to ensure that all of the various existing operational 
project elements of the Central and Southern Florida 
project shall be managed as a system to protect public 
health and safety. As new elements are completed and 
added to the project, the Master Operational Manual shall 
be updated to include the new features. 
(e) STUDY.—The Secretary of the Army, in conjunc-
tion with the National Academies of Sciences, shall under-
take a study of the legacy of pollution and nutrient loading 
as well as the impacts of soil amendments that contribute 
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to nutrient uptake that have occurred to Lake Okeechobee 
from current and past operational regimes. The study 
shall include— 
(1) the components of the nutrient load and soil 
amendments, and how this nutrient loading is and 
will continue to impact Everglades restoration ef-
forts; and 
(2) proposed solutions to ameliorate the impacts 
of this pollution to downstream watersheds. 
(f) SCOPE.—Nothing in this section shall be con-
strued to alter or amend— 
(1) the Water Rights Compact between the 
State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe and the 
Miccosukee Tribe; 
(2) the Miccosukee Tribe’s access to water; or 
(3) the schedule for completion of the Central 
Everglades Planning Project or Central Everglades 
Restoration Plan projects authorized on or before 
December 31, 2018. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
Æ 
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