A warning from the south: What Lake Okeechobee’s pollution crisis means for Lake Apopka
The environmental disaster unfolding at Lake Okeechobee should serve as a loud warning for Central Florida. Once celebrated as “the liquid heart of Florida,” Lake Okeechobee is now ranked the most polluted lake in the nation, plagued by toxic algae, phosphorus overload, and decades of unchecked agricultural runoff. It didn’t happen overnight. It was the result of slow-moving neglect — and Lake Apopka knows that story all too well.
Lake Apopka, Florida’s fourth largest lake, was once a world-class bass fishing destination before nutrient pollution turned it into an ecological cautionary tale. In the mid-20th century, agricultural discharge and pesticide use devastated its water quality and wildlife. Though massive restoration efforts have improved conditions, the lake still faces ongoing challenges — phosphorus levels remain high, algal blooms are a persistent threat, and wetlands continue to recover…