Why the Manatees Are Dying

After massive rainfall this summer sent heavily polluted Lake Okeechobee to historic levels, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had to decide whether to risk that the 143-mile dike would hold -- knowing several small communities in the water’s path would be wiped out if it broke -- or devastate several estuaries and their wildlife. As the New York Times reports, the estuaries were sacrificed, including Indian River Lagoon, where manatees are dying. Environmental groups and state officials are alarmed; Gov. Rick Scott has appropriated $130 million to fund two separate projects.