Water, Water, Everywhere Every year, billions of gallons of
polluted water are pumped into Florida's Lake Okeechobee, one of
the largest freshwater lakes in the US. The waste water, from
nearby industrial agriculture operations and urban runoff,
contains nitrogen, phosphorous, and other pollutants. These feed
toxic algae blooms lethal to fish and wildlife populations
dependent upon the lake. Not a Drop to Drink This is all bad
enough, but the Lake is also the state's largest above-ground
drinking water supply. The South Florida Water Management
District claimed that it didn't have to treat the waste water
before dumping it into the Lake, but Earthjustice -- and
communities drinking the water -- disagreed. Attorneys in our
Tallahassee office sued the District in federal court to stop
the pollution. Breaking the Law The water district, backed by
industrial sugar producers, the EPA, and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, argued that the Clean Water Act didn't apply to this
pollution pumping. However, in December