You're Needed to Support Our River
On July 7 at County Commission Meeting

Let's appear at the Martin County Commission meeting at 10:30 a.m. July 7 (Tuesday) to ask commissioners to support the Rivers Coalition Defense Fund's lawsuit to stop discharges from Lake Okeechobee into our historic estuary.

Whether you say a word or not, your presence will be important. We're requesting (or demanding) that the commission stand tall and send a "friend of the court" petition favoring the lawsuit.

The lawsuit pending in Washington maintains that the "alien" discharges by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are unconstitutional and devastate the St. Lucie estuary in wet years, such as '03, '04 and '05.

The overall goal is to have the excess lake water sent south instead of gushed to the east and west coasts via many billions of gallons of wasted and polluted water. The discharges kill oysterbeds and large numbers of other life.

Opposition to the "amicus" petition is expected, a lobbyist claiming that backing the lawsuit could interfere with the county's dealings with the Corps. Proponents of the lawsuit say that the county's support would have no effect whatsoever on pending government matters and that the Corps itself has proposed many times over the years that sheetflow be restored in the Everglades.

"This is our only real hope to save and restore the estuary," said Rivers Coalition Chair Leon Abood. "It's imperative that citizens turn out to ask our county's help, as we have received from the city of Stuart and the Town of Sewall's Point."

Martin County Administrative Center
2401 SE Monterey Road
Stuart, FL 34996