Lake Okeechobee stands at more than 15 feet and the discharges into the St. Lucie River are over.
Out on the river Friday, Jim Harter in Palm City checked on the water quality.
"Salinity is zero," said Harter.
There are no algae blooms, but you can see the water is murky.
"All that mud," said Harter.
The billions of gallons did devastate oysters and seagrass.
"Always been dumped on us. That needs to change," said Harter.
Hurricane Irma highlighted a number of issues including high lake levels and dike integrity. Also, storage options north and south.
"Irma did bring up that emphasis on what happens when you get a tropical storm," said Mark Perry with Florida's Oceanographic Society.
He says as discharges end, we can look towards 2018.
The environment will be crucial the upcoming legislative session and the 2018 gubernatorial election.
"That is the primary issue in the state of Florida," said Perry.
Governor Scott also proposed $50 million in the upcoming budget to speed up repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike.
