https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/10/09/big-florida-lake-ranked-as-the-most-polluted-in-the-u-s/

Yes sir it is Florida's most polluted lake. But I did not know it is the country's most polluted.

 

Water toxicity levels are 6 times what is normal for humans. Dogs who play in the water can be dead within hours. Humans boating on the surface inhaling aerosolized toxins above the lake's surface can be hospitalized.

 

The problem is the size of the lake makes it impossible to flush out. The bottom of the lake is filling up with toxic sludge from raw human sewage flowing into it constantly and endlessly. So the lake is getting more and more toxic by the second.

 

I covered some of this lake's problems recently in another thread.

 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/267323-what-is-in-the-water-is-it-safe-experts-say-not-any-more/#comment-3173698

 

In order to try and fix that lake they have to stop building the dike higher and higher and raising water levels trying to contain it. Its not working. The experts are saying they need to reopen the river of grass to the South and let all that water flow through the river of grass as it was before mankind moved in and messed everything up.

 

They have to move humans out of the way of the restored Southern outflow.

 

They also have to find a way to stop the inflow of the raw human sewage flowing down the Kissimmee river into it.

 

Step by step they are working on it but that lake is an overwhelming problem because of its size.

 

For the article to say they are not willing to address it I don't think is accurate. They are addressing it on numerous fronts. They are drilling deep wells to pump dirty water thousands of feet underground and hope it does not resurface or poison the aquifer. They are constructing large vegetation filters. They are trying to address the sources of the human sewage by eliminating septic tanks by way of federal grant money.

 

That lake is quite simply a bad case of humans overwhelming nature with too much of our human waste into a body of water too large to manage.

 

I bet old Roland Martin is regretting ever buying land on that lake! He and his son now fish Headwaters and other places.

 

https://captainsforcleanwater.org/what-does-send-it-south-really-mean-4-benefits/

 

Sad but true. It’s all about the money and its influence on those in power. 

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Sad but true. It’s all about the money and its influence on those in power. 

1000000% true........

Mama and her sisters are still there

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I didn't know this. What a bummer. Never been there, but some how latched onto the name as a kid from the Carolinas and always wanted to visit.

They still catch some nice fish out of there, but how long will that last?

My personal opinion is that there is way too many year around tournaments and guide trips on that lake and I believe that adds to the problem also.

People have been predicting the demise of that lake for years.
Tournaments and guides have been going on there for generations and have no doubt that will continue for many more. 
 

This not the first time that misinformation, scare tactics and sensationalism have been used to describe “The Lake”

and it’s still there and so is Big Mama and her sisters. 
Just gotta know when to go where, but that’s always been the rule there. 
 

Is it healthy? No it’s not. 
Does it need help now? Absolutely 

The installation of levies, dikes, berms and man made canals have hurt that Lake more than people realized then and now. 

But dogs are certainly not dying after 4 hours swimming around.
I and no one else I know have been hospitalized after “inhaling aerosolized toxins above the lakes surface”

Captains For Clean Water is just one organization who have been fighting to correct years of mismanagement and political interference. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

@Mike L I’m wondering is the lake level still really high thus preventing sunlight penetration, which in turn slows hydrilla growth. Or is it spraying alone killing off the hydrilla? 

14 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

@Mike L I’m wondering is the lake level still really high thus preventing sunlight penetration, which in turn slows hydrilla growth. Or is it spraying alone killing off the hydrilla? 

Spaying is huge in that regard which just covers the bottom in inches and in some places feet of muck especially on the south shore but it’s not the only reason. 

Higher than “normal” water levels is another (they should do another study in March and report back)

 

Also, the inordinate amount of runoff of fertilizer and other so called “nutrients” is another. 
 

Combine all 3 and no grass can establish itself to grow strong and healthy 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

Start spraying aquatic vegetation is a down hill slope. The largest natural lake in California is also world class bass fishery in trouble ….Clear Lake.

Tom

It’s a mud hole, plain and simple. Not only from the congested polluted mess north of the lake but also from continuous nuking (or spraying). Other areas in the glades are getting just as bad. Hard to say what the final outcome will be but I sure do miss those good times when all was green, wild, and so very full of life. Funny how it goes, to watch a dying land, sadly the fish have a front row seat! 

A guide on Big O just reported seeing a spray boat just spraying like crazy in clear open water just to empty his chemical tank so he could go back and collect his paycheck.

People should be held accountable and prosecuted for this type of behavior.

Florida does do some open water spraying. Not sure about Lake O though. They are spraying usually for invasive plants and overgrowth and maybe underwater plants we can't see on the surface. Emptying a tank is another story though. Definitely a fish killer for sure.

 

They have sprayed so much across Florida that it killed off the plants the manatee eat and some were starving so they had to back off of it some after trying to hand feed some manatee to save their lives.

 

The St. Johns river used to have eel grass all up and down the river. Not any more. All that spraying South of Palatka has flowed north killing virtually all vegetation in the river. I wish there was another way.

 

This is from the Florida Wildlife Commission:

 

If anyone is interested, here is a website that shows the spraying schedules

 

https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/SpraySchedules/

 

And FWC website search for Lake O:

 

https://myfwc.com/search/#?cludoquery=spraying lake okeechobee&cludopage=1&cludorefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fmyfwc.com%2F&cludorefpt=Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | FWC&cludoinputtype=standard

 

And an interesting history of spraying and historical timeline dating back to 1884 and the unfortunate introduction of invasive species

 

https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/Invasive-Species/Aquatic-Plant-Control-Program/

I have a hard time believing anyone alive can truly think that nuking the plants and water is the right answer. Those chemicals will affect everything up the food chain, including us at some point. I am sure fertilizers and runoff is the culprit, but adding more chemicals does not make it right. I am sure before we were here, mother nature controlled the weed population just fine.

The regular hurricane season always controlled the weed population. 

12 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

The regular hurricane season always controlled the weed population. 

I'll take the weeds!  😄