JUMP TO: Friends of the Everglades LOSOM Reaction As the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual process enters the next phase of development, the fight is less about how the plan is written — but whose finger is on the trigger. That was laid bare today, during the Army Corps of Engineers’ latest meeting on the lake plan. In recent weeks advocates for “water supply” — many of them sympathetic to Big Sugar and other agricultural interests south of Lake Okeechobee — have insisted the state of Florida, rather than the Army Corps of Engineers, must have the ultimate say in how the system is operated when the water in the lake drops near the “water shortage management band.” When the [...]

It’s not all we hoped for. But ultimately, it’s better than what we have now. On Tuesday the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced its pick for the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual; the new playbook will guide lake management for a decade to come. Model 260467 would discharge an average of 117,000 acre-feet of water from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie estuary every year. The good news is that’s 37% less than what might have been discharged had the Corps taken no action and continued to utilize the existing lake schedule. The bad news? It’s a 63% increase over the 72,000 acre-feet per year originally proposed in the Corps’ “preferred alternative,” Plan CC. After selecting Plan CC in [...]

Lake Okeechobee cyanobacteria bloom 8-30-21. Photo by Ralph Arwood. First shared on Facebook by the Calusa Waterkeeper. Last week the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave us some “homework.” At the end of an Aug. 25 meeting on the proposed new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual — LOSOM — the Corps asked participants to think about how much blue-green algae is too much. Specifically, the Corps asked what “indicators” might signify that poor water quality or algae blooms on Lake Okeechobee are “significant enough” to allow water managers to consider taking action? And if so, what should water managers do to reduce the risk to public health and the environment? The answers should be obvious to anyone who [...]

More than 1,100 Friends of the Everglades like you sent messages to the Army Corps of Engineers in recent weeks, asking for specific improvements to the new Lake Okeechobee plan that’s being developed. Today, we saw where the Army Corps took our advice, and where we still have work to do. During a virtual meeting, Corps officials unveiled new details of the preferred alternative for the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, or LOSOM — the “playbook” for managing the lake in the decade to come. Col. Andrew Kelly, who is leading the effort, articulated goals for how the plan, previously known as “Alternative CC,” will be optimized and deliver benefits to all stakeholders. Friends of the Everglades previously made [...]

Is relief from harmful discharges and toxic blue-green algae finally in sight for the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries? In meetings around the state this week, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials heard praise and criticism of Plan “CC,” the proposal chosen as the framework for the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM). Plan CC could cut discharges to the St. Lucie by 60 percent, and send more water south to the Everglades and Florida Bay. But it needs work. It must do more to protect the Caloosahatchee and send more dry-season flows to the Everglades and Florida Bay. And you can email the Corps today asking for modifications that prioritize public health and environmental protection across the Greater [...]