[UPDATE] Col. Jason Kirk on Lake Okeechobee and Herbert Hoover Dike sans the media spin

UPDATE: Almost in its entirety, the letter by Col. Kirk was published in today's print edition (7/11) of The Palm Beach Post editorial page as a "Point Of View". Below is a blog post from last Saturday:

Not sure what the word "sans" means? For the entire press release from July 8th titled, "Corps must remain vigilant in managing Lake O" use this link; below are three excerpts:

By Col. Jason Kirk, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District Commander
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District

     Water—in south Florida, we either have too much or too little. For most of 2016, heavy rains fueled by El Nino mean we’ve had too much.
     The flood control system operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District has prevented loss of life and major widespread property damage so far this year.

[and. . .] 

     The Corps stands ready to respond should a breach scenario develop. However, part of our mitigation to prevent a breach includes managing the water level in the lake to keep it from rising too high. Unfortunately, this requires releasing water in quantities that, when combined with an equally large volume of basin runoff, upset the freshwater-saltwater mix in the estuaries. The change in that mix, coupled with hot weather, and excessive nitrogen and phosphorus in the system from a variety of sources, are all among the factors fueling the algae affecting the estuaries.

[and. . .]

     Eight million people in south Florida depend on the system to safeguard their lives and property. Flood protection is what Congress expected when they asked the Corps to develop flood control solutions, and I believe it’s ultimately what the citizens of our nation expect as well.

[To find out why the Herbert Hoover Dike was constructed use this link.]