Foley set up the tour last November after hurricane damage to Lake Okeechobee and the surrounding rivers overwhelmed the water release systems around the lake and led to concerns about the environmental impact future storms would have. The tour included water patrol structures-gates that are used to allow waters from the lake to flow into surrounding rivers-the St. Lucie Lock and Structure (S-80) and Ortona Lock and Structure (S-78) outside LaBelle.
"Still reeling from the direct consequences of back-to-back hurricane seasons that churned up sediments and kept water levels extremely high, Lake Okeechobee and our coastal estuaries have never been at a more critical juncture,"