In South Florida, A Polluted Bubble Ready To Burst

Official: We're One Tropical Storm Away From 'Massive Crisis Mode'
Susan Werb, right, wears a protective mask as Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Joe Negron tour part of the St. Lucie River near Stuart, Fla., Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013, to access the environmental impact of water being released from Lake Okeechobee. Scott is committing $40 million to finishing construction on a storm water treatment project by the St. Lucie River. He says the $40 million investment from Florida will speed up the completion date of the project which he says will protect the water quality in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Susan Werb, right, wears a protective mask as Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Joe Negron tour part of the St. Lucie River near Stuart, Fla., Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013, to access the environmental impact of water being released from Lake Okeechobee. Scott is committing $40 million to finishing construction on a storm water treatment project by the St. Lucie River. He says the $40 million investment from Florida will speed up the completion date of the project which he says will protect the water quality in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

CLEWISTON, Fla. -- On wind-whipped days when rain pounds this part of South Florida, people are quickly reminded that Lake Okeechobee, with its vulnerable dike and polluted waters, has become a giant environmental problem far beyond its banks.

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