(Tallahassee – News Service of Florida) – As Treasure Coast residents complain about the impact of water released from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon, the Senate has set up a select committee to investigate the state and federal management policies for the waterways. Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, announced Wednesday that Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, will chair the Senate Select Committee on Indian River Lagoon and Lake Okeechobee Basin. The committee is expected to study the policies, spending and any other governmental activities involving the water management. “The purpose of this select committee is to determine what progress has been made and what changes in policy, if any, should be recommended to the Legislature and the Congress,” Gaetz said in a release. A report from the committee is due Nov. 4. Negron said in the release that he is “hopeful” some recommendations may be considered by the Legislature in 2014. Negron had earlier called for a regional meeting on the impact of releases of water that area residents say dump pollution into the local estuaries. Senate staff is working to hold the meeting in early or mid-August. With concerns lingering over the health of the Herbert Hoover Dike, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been releasing water from the lake as a means to keep the water level down during the summer rainy season.
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