Dear Editor:

This is in regards to the toxic sludge that’s heading our way. Many on the west coast are determined to send it south but that’s not the answer. The Everglades is choked out due to development and can’t handle it and the way they rerouted the flow of water doesn’t allow it like it did in the past.

So what to do? After contacting the Corps of Engineers at each lock thru the water ways that come from Lake O to Ft Myers I learned that on some busy weekends some locks open up to 30 times a day due to recreational boat traffic and that’s not helping at all.

This blue/green algae is toxic and needs to be removed and it can be filtered, skimmed, aerated and copper treated while in the locks before it’s released. The locks should be used to do this and not opened every hour for recreational boating. The hottest part of summer is yet to come and the bloom can get much worse than it already is.

The technology is there and all incoming water to the lake from the Kissimmee River or Indian Prairie canal and all water exiting the lake should be treated.

Many are waiting to vote someone else in who will fix it but that’s far too long with no guarantees, this is getting worse daily.

Time to create a bulletproof plan to help this since the Governor pretty much assisted in allowing it and we don’t see any solutions coming from them. Time is not on our side with this.  Action is required last week.

by Douglas Hattendorf