# Understanding the PROTECT Florida Act

Florida has a massive water management system that controls everything from flood prevention to water supply across central and southern parts of the state. Right now, this system operates based on several different goals—keeping areas from flooding, allowing boats to navigate, supplying water to farms and cities, and protecting wildlife. The PROTECT Florida Act adds a new priority to the mix: public health has to be considered in every decision about how this water system operates, with a specific focus on preventing toxic algae blooms.

The main problem this bill addresses is cyanobacteria—a type of toxic algae that grows in water and can make people sick. These blooms have become a serious issue in Florida, particularly in Lake Okeechobee and areas like the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. When the water system releases water containing these toxins downstream, it affects communities that depend on that water for drinking, fishing, and recreation. The bill requires the Army Corps of Engineers to change how they manage the entire water system so that preventing these toxic algal blooms and protecting public health becomes just as important as the other goals like flood control and water supply.

To make this happen, the bill directs the Army Corps of Engineers to create or update a master operating manual that treats all the different parts of Florida's water system as one coordinated network instead of separate pieces. The bill also requires a study to understand how pollution and nutrient buildup from past operations have contributed to the algae problem and what solutions might help. Importantly, the bill protects existing agreements with Native American tribes and doesn't change current environmental laws or timelines for other restoration projects already underway. It also specifically prohibits using restoration money to inject excess water deep underground, which some worry could cause other environmental problems.

PROTECT Florida Act

Mast, Brian J.

Prioritizing Revised Operations To Eliminate Cyanobacteria Toxins in Florida Act or the&nbsp;PROTECT Florida Act This bill&nbsp;modifies requirements regarding&nbsp;water infrastructure projects in&nbsp;central and&nbsp;southern Florida. Specifically, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) must include in such projects&nbsp;specified&nbsp;public health considerations, including those related to cyanobacteria (i.e., blue-green algae) and other toxins. The bill also prohibits the use of restoration funds for deep well injection (a liquid-waste disposal technology). In addition, the USACE must (1) develop a master operational manual to ensure system management that protects public health and Everglades restoration; and (2) with the National Academies of Sciences, study the legacy of pollution and nutrient loading, as well as the impacts of soil amendments.