Photo Contest Shows Extent of U.S. Florida’s Water Pollution Problem [PHOTOS]

It was a photo contest not meant to show the most vivid, beautiful and eye-turning picture. It was a photo contest meant to show off the most thought-provoking and livid picture that would most perfectly capture the state of Florida's water pollution problem.

In late September, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Jupiter) organised a rather bizarre photo contest, calling on his constituents to contribute and submit their photos on his Facebook page. The contest meant to highlight the burgeoning crisis engulfing Florida's waterways, particularly the St Lucie River and Estuary as well as the Indian River Lagoon.

Mr Murphy explained to Florida the photos would be used for a scheduled meeting on Thursday, Oct 3, on Capitol Hill.

He said the photos will help him graphically show to Washington "the pressing need to find real solutions to address this problem that has gone on for far too long."

The meeting, he said, was primarily set to discuss the serious problem Lake Okeechobee discharges caused; the impacts the releases have had, so far, on the local communities and economies; and what solutions must be pursued.

In summer, when Lake Okeechobee became overwhelmed by major rains, the Army Corps of Engineers, fearing a tear up of the dike, opted instead to release billions of gallons of polluted water into the surrounding estuaries, which included the St Lucie River and Estuary as well as the Indian River Lagoon. It was not long afterwards that the bandaid solution to save another will ultimately kill another. The water deluge from Lake Okeechobee, which carried contaminates from area farms and septic tanks, spurred a burst of dangerous algae, a prelude of the perfect storm of environmental dangers.

The pollution caused animal deaths in the Indian River Lagoon System lately, including 46 dolphins, 111 manatees and 300 pelicans. Their mass deaths continued to remain a mystery to experts.

The Indian River Lagoon is a grouping of three lagoons, Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River and the Indian River, on the Atlantic Coast of Florida.

(Video source: YouTube/new wah24)

Mr Murphy hoped the pictures he was able to gather would best speak for themselves.