Floridians' Clean Water Declaration Campaign
Last month, over 400 Floridians gathered on the steps of the Capitol building in Tallahassee, Florida, for the Floridians for Clean Water & Amendment 1 Rally. The purpose of the rally was to support Florida’s recently-passed Amendment 1, a land conservation measure, and to give expression to the need to protect Florida’s intimately connected wild lands and waters. The rally built on a longstanding discontent amongst the state’s citizens, and on the desire to see Florida’s many environmental challenges addressed by state leadership.
It was only two years ago that the vast Indian River Lagoon, a long, narrow estuary that stretches over 150 miles along Florida’s eastern coast, went through a near ecological collapse. Extremely thick algal blooms choked out the lagoon’s seagrass beds, and the lagoon’s manatees, dolphins, and pelicans died in droves. The culprit is believed to have been an overdose of nutrients flowing into the lagoon from the land, from agricultural fertilizers, septic systems, erosion, and urban runoff. This impact was exacerbated by the weather, which was particularly wet that year, filling up Lake Okeechobee to dangerously high levels. With its natural flow to the south blocked by levees, the lake couldn’t drain. So its waters were released east, along a manmade canal, directly into the St. Lucie River and from there to the Indian River Lagoon. This influx of freshwater and pollutant-laden silt unbalanced the salinity of the estuary, and served as a blow that brought the lagoon ecosystem to its knees.
In response, “there was an upwelling of grassroots anger and dissent,” says Cris Costello, Senior Regional Organizing Representative for the Sierra Club, and organizer of the Floridians' Clean Water Declaration Campaign. Founded in part as a direct response to the Indian River Lagoon disaster, the FCWDC is an alliance of over 150 nonprofits, citizen groups, and businesses that have unanimously signed a declaration stating that clean, healthy waters are everyone’s right and responsibility to maintain. “We’re on a sandbar,” explains Costello. “Water is a big issue. People care.”
The efforts to protect Florida’s water resources received a boost last November, when Amendment 1 of the state’s constitution was passed by a margin of 75 percent. Amendment 1 sets aside state funds to acquire, protect, and restore land in Florida, protecting the sources of Floridians’ fresh water and the habitats for countless species. However, the amendment was no sooner passed than other interests started trying to peck away at it, attempting to pull resources from the conservation trust fund and use them for other, unrelated projects, such as building a wastewater treatment plant. However, funds coming from Amendment 1 are clearly designated to be used in land preservation and restoration, not in wastewater treatment or anything else special interests might desire.
The connection between land and water issues in Florida is clear, with most of the damage to estuaries such as Indian River Lagoon coming from land pollution runoff, and so the FCWDC partnered with Florida's Water & Land Legacy Coalition to pull off the rally.
The February rally was a resounding success, attracting over 400 people from across the state and from many citizen action groups. Some people rode buses for as many as seven hours to attend the event, literally going the distance to show their support for Florida’s open spaces. The attendees and speakers represented a smorgasbord of land and water issues, from fracking and pipelines to the use of rivers and coral reefs, reflecting each of the organizations’ local concerns. Yet despite the diversity of issues, “Amendment 1 is not your slush fund!” was a unifying cry, with attendees plastering the steps with colorful “solidarity fish,” making a visual statement of how many people came and cared. “We displayed the broad and deep public demand for clean water, which the government cannot ignore,” says Costello.
The united coalitions to protect Amendment 1 and to safeguard Florida’s water resources are continuing to build support and public recognition. Signing the FCWDC’s declaration is a good place to start, and Floridians can check out the coalition’s Facebook page to keep up to date on rallies and other activities. “We’re not going away,” Costello says. “We’re growing.”