Fund EAA reservoir and fight toxic algae blooms, 61 Congress members ask Trump in letter

Sixty-one members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed a letter asking the Trump administration to fund projects to stop harmful algae blooms, specifically those caused by Lake Okeechobee discharges, in the budget for fiscal year 2020.

Congress and President Donald Trump authorized, but didn't appropriate, money to pay for construction of the EAA reservoir south of Lake O as a way to help cut discharges and prevent toxic algae blooms in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers.

More: Trump signs bill authorizing EAA reservoir

Fiscal year 2020, which begins Oct. 1, 2019, is the soonest the federal government could appropriate funds to start paying its half of the estimated $1.6 billion reservoir project.

EAA reservoir timeline: What's been done? What's ahead?

Authors of the letter to the Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney included: U.S. Reps. Brian  Mast, a Palm City Republican; Marcy Kaptur, an Ohio Democrat; Dave Joyce, an Ohio Republican; and Suzanne Bonamici, an Oregon Democrat.

The 61 signers represented members of both political parties.

More: Read the letter

The letter notes toxic algae blooms affect water bodies in all 50 states and all U.S. territories; and the blue-green algae bloom from Lake O "has fouled rivers and inland waterways leading to both coasts, wreaking havoc on the state’s tourism industry and threatening public health. This toxic bloom remains a continued threat to drinking water and commercial and recreational uses of waterways.”