Sugar farmers suing USA over water level in reservoir in Florida – CBS Miami

MIAMI (CBSMiami / AP) – Sugar farmers in Florida are suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over proposed water levels in the reservoirs, which they say will be way too low.

Federal lawsuits filed this week by Florida Crystals’ Okeelanta Corp., US Sugar, and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative say the current Corps plan will not provide enough water for their fields.

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“Farmers need safe water supplies, and all farmers need security in planning and managing our planting plans and crop rotation,” said Jaime Vega, vice president of agriculture for Florida Crystals.

Jacksonville Commander Col. Andrew Kelly defended the Corps’ work, saying the agency would balance water supplies for both the environment and farmers.

“We go through a very, very deliberate process, not just with our (environmental) analysis, but with all the analysis that is required to find the best infrastructure that can be built into the ground in the right place,” he said . “So we’re pretty confident that the infrastructure plan we have for the future is good.”

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The project in question is the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir, which is designed to purify polluted water so that more can flow south if it is urgently needed towards Everglades National Park and Florida Bay.

In the lawsuits, Sugar Growers say the reservoir, which is still under construction, should be kept at a higher water level than is currently envisaged in a Corps of Engineers plan.

Proponents of the Everglades restoration say that breeders simply put their priorities before others.

“They have always been on the front lines and now they are not satisfied with how the lake and reservoir are run more fairly,” said Eric Eikenberg, CEO of the Everglades Foundation.

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The lawsuits are pending in West Palm Beach Federal Court. They ask a judge to order the corps to revert to a reservoir plan that will guarantee a greater water supply.

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