Aug. 3, 2018

West Palm Beach, FL – The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has been working around the clock to lower water levels in the water conservation areas to create capacity for sending additional Lake Okeechobee water south, all in an effort to alleviate South Florida's high water emergency.

SFWMD Chief Engineer John Mitnik and SFWMD spokesman Randy Smith gave an update on the District's operations through the agency's weekly video series, which is dedicated to informing the public on current water conditions and the agency's actions amid the high water emergency. The video update can be seen by clicking HERE or visiting the District's website dedicated to the emergency situation at www.sfwmd.gov/managinghighwater.

The video update answers some of the most frequently asked questions SFWMD has been receiving from the public on its social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Some of the questions Mitnik answered included, "Who is responsible for operating which parts of the regional flood control system?", "Why can't the District flood privately owned land?" and "What is the long-term strategy to improve the timing and quantity of freshwater flows to the coastal estuaries?"

"Transparency and getting the most complete and accurate information out to the public is how we do business at the District," said SFWMD Executive Director Ernie Marks. "It is how our Governing Board directs this agency and what the public expects from our professional engineers and scientists."

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