CLEWISTON, FL. August 8, 2006 - Florida sugar farmers significantly reduced phosphorus levels in the water leaving their farms despite greatly increased phosphorus levels in water flowing to the farms from Lake Okeechobee and a second straight year of hurricane flooding.

According to recent South Florida Water Management District reports, farmers reduced phosphorus levels by 44% for the year. State law requires farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area to achieve 25% reductions in phosphorus through a series of soil and water management techniques.

We are extremely proud that our program of Best Management Practices (BMPs) continued to reduce phosphorus levels, said Judy Sanchez, Director of Corporate Communications. With 11 years of success, the 44% reduction is even more satisfying when we look at the poor water quality flowing from Lake Okeechobee.

Sanchez said farmers are fighting a trend of having increasingly nutrient laden irrigation water flowing onto their farms from Lake Okeechobee. Water from Lake Okeechobee averaged 247 ppb this year compared to a base level of 80 ppb when the program began. The farmers did such an excellent job that this year water came onto the farms at 247 ppb and left the farm at 119 ppb.

While water quality issues in Lake Okeechobee have been exacerbated by the hurricanes, phosphorus levels in the lake have been going up every year since 1974, Sanchez said. We hope that the projects to clean and store water north of the Lake come on line quickly so that all of the restoration efforts south of Lake Okeechobee are not jeopardized.

Farmers and Floridians can be proud of the success of these restoration efforts, but we all need to support the State's efforts to provide similar storage and treatment areas in other parts of the system, said Robert Coker, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs.