LOSOM 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|

“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|

A brief history leading to the adoption of LOSOM

The road leading to the implementation of LOSOM has been a long one. Read an outline of the events that got us here below, or check out a condensed version on Instagram: August 2005 - Hurricane Katrina levee failures in New Orleans intensify the need to rehabilitate the aging Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee. 2008 - LORS 2008, a Lake Okeechobee management plan adopted by the Army Corps of Engineers, includes rigid guidelines for harmful releases to the northern estuaries. Summer 2013 - An algae-filled “Lost Summer”, caused by Lake Okeechobee discharges, devastates the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries and Indian River Lagoon. Summer 2016 - Lake Okeechobee discharges again trigger widespread toxic algae blooms [...]

Allie Preston2024-08-19T17:51:40-04:00August 20th, 2024|LOSOM|

Proposal for EAA Reservoir STA will not reduce harmful Lake Okeechobee discharges

Will this STA become just another tool for cleaning up sugarcane pollution? Friends of the Everglades is on high alert after learning how state and federal water managers intend to use the A-2 Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) — a crucial component of the $4 billion EAA Reservoir project. Much political fanfare surrounds this 6,500-acre man-made marsh, which was billed to the public as a remedy for harmful Lake Okeechobee discharges that are dumped on the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries and Lake Worth Lagoon. Just six months ago Gov. Ron DeSantis attended a ribbon-cutting for the project and touted its benefits: “When I signed our executive order when I first took office back in 2019, [...]

Allie Preston2024-08-15T13:03:08-04:00August 15th, 2024|All Posts, EAA Reservoir, Friends of the Everglades Statements, LOSOM|

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|

Everglades in the News: The New York Times spotlights the truth about toxic algae

The front page of Monday’s New York Times spotlighted a threat we contemplate every day at Friends of the Everglades: Lake Okeechobee, still full from Hurricane Ian’s deluge last fall, is now brimming with fertilizer-fueled toxic algae. That toxic algae is likely to be discharged east toward the Atlantic and west toward the Gulf of Mexico as the lake rises this rainy season, posing a threat to our environment, economy, and public health. It’s a crisis we’ve been working to resolve for years, as the government-supported sugarcane industry continues to occupy about a half-million acres south of Lake Okeechobee — impeding true restoration of the River of Grass. The story also highlights Friends of the Everglades’ commitment to science-backed solutions [...]

Allie Preston2024-08-15T12:05:12-04:00July 11th, 2023|All Posts, EAA Reservoir, Lake Okeechobee, LOSOM, Science-driven solutions|

Everglades Illustrated: Toxic Times Ahead?

The satellite image above from June 11, 2023, presages a grim tale. The algal bloom seen here covers an estimated 440 square miles of Lake Okeechobee which, amazingly, NOAA describes as a decrease from the day before. At just over 14 feet, Lake Okeechobee is higher than anyone is comfortable with at the start of Florida’s rainy season. Comparable levels in past years have led to many billions of gallons of harmful releases to the northern estuaries. Paired with the current concentration of algae in the lake, there’s a concerning likelihood we’re headed toward another toxic summer. Friends of the Everglades spent more than three years fighting for a new lake management plan, LOSOM, that considers the risks of [...]

Allie Preston2023-06-12T16:51:27-04:00June 13th, 2023|Everglades Illustrated, Human Health and Safety, Lake Okeechobee, LOSOM, Toxic Algae|

WATCH NOW — What the LOSOM delay could mean for the northern estuaries

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0bcLGNbyYE From the desk of our Executive Director, Eve Samples, your Voice of the Everglades update: For four years, we’ve been advocating for a new Lake Okeechobee plan that addresses the risks of toxic algae and sends more clean water south to Everglades National Park. We were finally headed in that direction, with an improved (but imperfect) plan known as the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM), which was supposed to take effect this June. Unfortunately, we now have to wait about six months longer — even as another algae season is brewing. Why the wait? A federal agency known as the National Marine Fisheries Service wants to take a closer look at LOSOM’s potential impacts on red tide [...]

Allie Preston2023-03-21T12:39:53-04:00March 21st, 2023|All Posts, LOSOM, Voice of the Everglades|