The decades-long campaign to end sugar cane field burning in south Florida is producing some results, we learned during a bus ride that was part of Florida Sierra’s recent winter meeting in South Bay near Lake Okeechobee.
The main concern was how the “black snow.” as residents in communities such as Belle Glade. Pahokee, South Bay and Clewiston term the ash fallout, affects their quality of life as it lands everywhere and reportedly causes health concerns for people who already have respiratory problems.
For years the industry seemed to ignore the issue and enlisted state environmental officials to declare the air was safe and clean.
More sophisticated air analyses by private investigative teams lead by Pro Publica have demonstrated there are issues.
There now seems to be some cracks in the sugar industry’s opposition to ending the practice.
We were told one major company, Florida. Crystals, no longer burns the fields and uses the organic debris that was once burned in open fields as biofuels to power their processing plants.
Plant operators have also installed physical barriers to prevent debris from affecting nearby homes in the Harlem community.
Economic development considerations have played a role, too.
When a new Wal-Mart was proposed for Clewiston, the store’s owners made it clear that they opposed burning in the fields adjacent to the store because it would affect their employees and customers.
There is no burning around the store.
This and other examples demonstrate that sugar cane field burning is not really as necessary as previously claimed.
As a side note to demonstrate how pervasive the “black snow” has become, when I visited John Stretch Park between Clewiston and South Bay, the ash even covered the spider webs as illustrated in the photo above.

Tamara Richardson, Polk’s utilities director, provided an informative update on Polk County’s quest for more drinking water to meet projected development demand and progress on Polk’s first-ever treatment plant for septic tank waste at Thursday’s Ancient Islands Group meeting.
Some takeaways from her presentation were:
–Although the Lower Floridan Aquifer will aid in supplying some of the water Polk officials say they will need to accommodate new development, that source, like the Upper Floridan that was the traditional source of drinking water, it is not inexhaustible.
-Pumping water from the Lower Floridan is unlikely to cause sinkholes because there is a confining layer between those two portions of the aquifer.
-The deep well system, the even deeper disposal well system and the 66 miles of pipeline will affect everyone’s water rates; expect a six percent annual increase.
–The other potential future source of water is the Peace River, but that is far in the future and will depend on how much water is available after the Southwest Florida Water Management District re-evaluates minimum flows in the Upper Peace River.
–Another potential source is what is called Direct Potable Reuse(DPR), which involves treating reclaimed water (treated sewage) to drinking water standards.
–DPS is undergoing a pilot project at a plant in northwest Polk using a series of treatment steps to remove such contaminants as organic compounds, viruses and PFAs (the so-called forever chemicals) that normal treatment doesn’t remove.
–The treatment plant for septic tank waste, which should be completed by next summer, is a long-awaited solution to the pollution problems that occurred when septage haulers were allowed to dispose of the waste on the ground, usually in pastures.
–It also comes after a business called BS Ranch & Farms, which, claimed to be able to turn the waste into usable soil, was shut down after being cited for numerous pollution violations.
–Under the new process the septage will be treated and mixed with leachate (contaminated water that flows through the piles of garbage at the landfill) and used as process water at the landfill.
Richardson said all of these projects are part of a series of anti-pollution and water management efforts required by various agencies aimed at reducing these operations’ impacts on the environment.

A Tallahassee judge on Monday dismissed a proposed injunction against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that proposed to halt next month’s bear hunt.
Lawyers for hunt opponents argued FWC’s decision was not based on good science and was simply another trophy hunt.
FWC’s lawyer responded that hunt opponents were simply “whining” because they did not prevail in the debate, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
In a statement issued Tuesday Sierra Club Florida called the ruling “a serious setback for Florida’s wildlife and for the countless Floridians who have worked tirelessly over the past year to stop this cruel and unnecessary hunt” adding ” The science is clear, the public has spoken, and nothing about this decision changes the facts: Florida does not need a bear hunt.”
The rationale for the hunt was that it was necessary to protect bears from the effects of urban sprawl, especially in the Florida Panhandle.
But as we pointed out in this space earlier this year that part of Florida where the hunt will occur is sparsely populated
Hunt proponents also used the passage of a badly worded constitutional right to hunt amendment, which Sierra opposed, to justify the hunt.
We hate to say we told you so, but we told you so.

The Polk County Commission voted this week to spend $600,000 toward the purchase of a 153-acre tract lying east and north of Lake Pansy near the intersection of U.S. 17 and U.S. 92.
This is a joint purchase with the Winter Haven, whose City Commission approved the project in July. Total purchase price is $1.4 million.
Winter Haven officials called the site consisting of 140 acres of wetlands “one of the last large ecologically valuable parcels within the city limits.”
The site had previously been reviewed for purchase in 2023 by the Polk County Environmental Lands Program and Polk’s CLASAC panel had recommended pursuing its purchase.
Winter Haven will manage the property.
Tentative plans call for a restoration project that will address treating discharges between Lake Pansy and Lake Rochelle and some future passive recreation and educational projects.

There is a predicted 63 million gallon per day projected water deficit by 2075 and how that gap will be filled will depend on pending legal fights and even more expensive alternative water supply efforts, the Polk Regional Water Cooperative’s board heard Wednesday.
The main legal fight involves the dispute with Tampa Bay Water over whether Polk has a valid claim to some of the water in the Alafia River, which begins in the Mulberry area.
The dispute is scheduled for an administrative hearing in March after attempts to resolve the dispute earlier this year failed.
Edward delaParte told board members their position is that Tampa Bay Water is claiming water it does not need and Polk does need.
Eric DeHaven, PRWC’s executive director, said the alternatives including figuring out how to tap the Upper Peace River and an even deeper portion of the Lower Floridan Aquifer. They could also offer to buy water from Tampa Bay Water.
There was no discussion of how much that would cost and how it would affect water rates for Polk water customers in order to secure water for future development.
Meanwhile, work is progressing on the construction of wells and pipelines in connection with the Southeast Polk and Lakeland area projects.
Those projects involve tapping the shallowest sections of the Lower Floridan Aquifer and installing deep wells to get rid of the waste from the treatment of the poor-quality water being pumped from the Lower Floridan wells.
DeHaven also got the go-ahead to explore the feasibility of constructing a reservoir south of Fort Meade.

The Bartow City Commission voted unanimously Monday night to approve the annexation and rezoning for a controversial development called Emilie Springs east of the city along the Peace Creek Drainage Canal.
Commissioners made a point of telling the audience that Monday’s vote does not guarantee final approval when the issue returns to them early next year after state review.
Monday’s hearing was pretty much a replay of the arguments pro and con that occurred at last month’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
Rural residents on Gerber Dairy Road argued the proposed densities would be incompatible with their lifestyle.
Bartow residents raised issues about flooding, school capacity, the housing glut and mortgage crisis and just how much the addition of thousands of homes will affect the city’s small-town atmosphere.
Consultants representing the developer dismissed most of those concerns, arguing all of those issues will have to be addressed before home construction can begin.
The project came to the city after previously being denied by the County Commission, which typically does not say no to many development projects.

Landscape irrigation is a major component of municipal water use and has long been a target of complaints about overwatering and improperly installed irrigation systems.
A bill filed to be considered in the 2026 session of the Florida Legislature proposes to remedy that, at least when it comes to new development and significant redevelopment.
It is SB 508 proposed by Sen. Keith Truenow from Lake County.
There is no House companion bill at this time and the bill has not been assigned to any committees.
Truenow’s bill contains detailed definitions of irrigation equipment, sets standards for irrigation efficiency and volumes and promotes the use irrigation professionals to make sure systems are installed and maintained properly.
The bill also includes penalties for violations.
The bill is intended to set a statewide standard but does not preempt local officials from approving more stringent standards.
The bill’s timing is apt, coming at a time when many local governments in Florida are looking for ways to make existing water supplies last before resorting to more expensive so-called alternative water sources.