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

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 and sea turtles.

What might that mean for LOSOM? This 2-minute video provides an explanation.