Lake Okeechobee Archives

Lake Okeechobee Recovery Operations After Action Report — Our letter to the Army Corps of Engineers

On January 14, 2026, Friends of the Everglades submitted a formal letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding Recovery Operations, which involved discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries beginning in December 2024 and ending March 29, 2025. Friends of the Everglades asked that the “after action report” gauge the effectiveness of Recovery Operation include an analysis of whether water levels in Lake Okeechobee could have been sufficiently reduced without harmful discharges; and that the report include impacts on seagrass, oysters, water quality, fish and other wildlife. Friends also asked for a detailed analysis of whether and how submerged aquatic vegetation benefitted from the drawdown of the lake.

Leah Voss2026-01-20T16:23:41-05:00January 20th, 2026|All Posts, Caloosahatchee Estuary, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Lake Okeechobee, LOSOM, St. Lucie Estuary|

Your voices were heard — damaging Lake Okeechobee discharges are ending March 29

Finally some good news! After almost four months of damaging Lake Okeechobee discharges, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has just announced they will close the gates to the St. Lucie and scale flows to the Caloosahatchee back to 1,400 cubic feet per second — within the beneficial range — on Saturday, March 29. Note that remaining flows going west are necessary to maintain optimal salinity. These discharges began back on December 7 under the premise of “Lake Okeechobee recovery,” with no guarantee they’d improve the health of the lake — while our estuaries paid the price. Thanks to nearly 3,000 of you who joined us in sending messages to Col. Brandon Bowman, the Army Corps has finally complied. [...]

Allie Preston2025-03-27T14:50:09-04:00March 27th, 2025|Lake Okeechobee, Rescue the River of Grass|

“Recovery Operations” harm more than they help

On February 20, 2025, Friends of the Everglades sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers outlining a summary of adverse impacts from Recovery Operations on the Northern Estuaries. Since Lake Okeechobee “Recovery Operations” began on Dec. 7, 2024, the northern estuaries have experienced negative impacts from the discharges including high turbidity, stressful salinity fluctuations and ranges, dissolved oxygen dips, and mobilization of nutrients. Release of this heavily polluted water can intensify red tide on the west coast and lead to seagrass loss, harmful algae blooms, fish kills, stress for organisms such as oysters, and loss of food for manatees. 75 days into "Recovery," there is still no guarantee of improved health in Lake Okeechobee. The only [...]

Allie Preston2025-02-21T10:43:45-05:00February 21st, 2025|All Posts, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Lake Okeechobee, LOSOM|

“Recovery Operations” sacrifice fragile estuaries for no guaranteed benefit

The Army Corps of Engineers initiated harmful Lake Okeechobee discharges on December 7, with no end in sight. These releases, which could last through May, bring polluted water and sediment to the fragile northern estuaries that have already suffered this wet season, on top of years of abuse. Col. Brandon Bowman, new to his post, recommended these releases in the name of “Lake Okeechobee recovery,” but there’s no guarantee lake levels will recede enough to improve its health. Caloosahatchee River dry season releases have not increased significantly, but the St. Lucie, which needs no freshwater inflow, will suffer significant damage. TELL Col. Bowman NOT to make the St. Lucie River a sacrificial lamb. Urge him to bring an [...]

Allie Preston2024-12-20T09:31:27-05:00November 22nd, 2024|Action Alerts, Lake Okeechobee, LOSOM|

“Lake Recovery” at what cost?

Today, Friends of the Everglades submitted a letter expressing deep concerns about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to initiate Recovery Operations on Lake Okeechobee. Expected to begin December 7, 2024, these harmful discharges could last months, devastating fragile estuaries that have already endured months of poor water quality after this year's storm season. The new Col. Brandon Bowman’s decision comes in the name of “lake recovery,” but there’s no guarantee this will lower lake levels enough to improve its health. Meanwhile, the northern estuaries will suffer, and the St. Lucie River in particular, which doesn’t need any freshwater input from Lake O, will bear the brunt of this destruction. Friends of the Everglades has urged the Corps [...]

Allie Preston2024-11-20T19:39:49-05:00November 20th, 2024|All Posts, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Lake Okeechobee, LOSOM|

St. Lucie Discharges Begin Ahead of Labor Day Weekend

Army Corps is releasing water from the C-44 Reservoir, not Lake Okeechobee On Wednesday, August 28, the Army Corps of Engineers began discharging water into the St. Lucie River in an attempt to reduce water levels in the newly constructed C-44 Reservoir. This water is NOT coming from Lake Okeechobee — rather, it’s from the mostly agricultural watershed between Lake O and Stuart — but it is nonetheless harmful to the St. Lucie River. These discharges, at a rate of about 300 cubic feet per second at the St. Lucie Lock & Dam (aka S-80), are expected to continue for a couple of weeks, depending on weather. The unnatural flows will lower delicate salinity levels in the St. Lucie [...]

Allie Preston2024-08-29T13:28:19-04:00August 29th, 2024|Lake Okeechobee, St. Lucie Estuary|

LOSOM has finally been activated

BREAKING NEWS: The delay is finally over! The new Lake Okeechobee management plan, LOSOM, was signed into effect yesterday, August 12, 2024. The Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) will now dictate operations on Lake O for the next decade. For the first time ever, the volume and timing of water moving out of the lake will be managed by a plan that considers the human-health risk of toxic algae on downstream communities. That’s important progress — but our work is not done. This long-awaited change from the previous lake plan, known as LORS08, comes after more than five years of staunch advocacy by Friends of the Everglades, VoteWater and others who called on the Army Corps of Engineers [...]

Allie Preston2024-08-13T12:03:03-04:00August 13th, 2024|Lake Okeechobee, LOSOM|

WATCH NOW — What happened and what’s next with Lake Okeechobee discharges in 2024

https://youtu.be/ODJ1Vjs12YI From the desk of our Executive Director, Eve Samples, your Voice of the Everglades update: Let me start with a big thank you. When we asked you to take action in response to damaging Lake Okeechobee discharges this spring, more than 1,500 of you stepped up and sent messages to water managers. Your messages, and our direct pressure, made a difference. The Army Corps of Engineers — acting on advice from the South Florida Water Management District — announced it would halt harmful Lake O flows to the St. Lucie River, Caloosahatchee River and Lake Worth Lagoon through at least June 1. Only beneficial releases will be allowed to the Caloosahatchee, which needs some lake water to maintain healthy [...]

Allie Preston2024-05-30T11:42:03-04:00April 16th, 2024|Lake Okeechobee, Voice of the Everglades|

STA capacity must be publicly addressed to fix the rigged system

We need you to speak up! On March 30, the Army Corps of Engineers closed the flood gates from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie River, Caloosahatchee River and Lake Worth Lagoon. This pause is a testament to the power of public pressure. Thanks to important input provided by stakeholders as well as the official recommendations of the South Florida Water Management District, only beneficial releases are resuming to the Caloosahatchee and releases to the St. Lucie River and Lake Worth Lagoon will remain paused. We are grateful to the Army Corps for listening to our concerns and adjusting Lake O flows accordingly. But even with harmful releases temporarily avoided, the problem remains. Should the wet season [...]

Allie Preston2024-05-30T11:42:03-04:00April 8th, 2024|Action Alerts, All Posts, Lake Okeechobee, Toxic Algae|

Ask SFWMD Governing Board members to fix the rigged system

We need you to speak up! Since February 17, water managers have permitted the release of harmful discharges out of Lake Okeechobee, causing damaging declines in salinity on Florida’s east and west coasts and staining the fragile St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries and Lake Worth Lagoon with dark, polluted water. As Floridians eye the coming wet season, signs of an early algae bloom lurk in the northwest corner of the lake — a symptom that could indicate a disastrous and toxic summer ahead. This all-too-familiar scenario is the product of a rigged system. There is a solution, and we need South Florida Water Management District Governing Board members to embrace it. About 62,000 acres of taxpayer-funded stormwater [...]

Allie Preston2024-03-27T08:39:42-04:00March 27th, 2024|Action Alerts, All Posts, Lake Okeechobee, Toxic Algae|