For many residents of Florida, the local news over the past weeks focused on images of large scale fish die-offs and dark polluted water in the Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg areas. For those here in Southwest Florida, these images coming out of central Florida serve as a reminder of the summer of 2018, when toxic blue-green algae spilled out of Lake Okeechobee, down the Caloosahatchee, and ultimately into the Gulf of Mexico causing similar fish-die offs and red tide events.

Coincidentally, at the same time the events in Tampa were making national news, the Army Corps of Engineers conducted a public meeting which resulted in the adoption of a revised Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, or “LOSOM” for short. The plan was last revised over a decade ago and governs the Army Corps’ management of the water levels in Lake Okeechobee.

The most important aspect of this management plan is the freshwater releases down the St. Lucie River, Caloosahatchee River and through the Everglades into Florida Bay. The Army Corps, as the executive arm in charge of these releases, drain and store water to assist with flood control, system ecology, and agricultural irrigation around the Lake. The adoption and modification of the LOSOM plan are governed by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, codified as section 601 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000.

Alternative CC

Considering the Congressional mandate of the Everglades Restoration Plan, along with public input from numerous stakeholders across South Florida, the Army Corps at a July 15^th meeting considered a number of revised management plans. The Army Corps ultimately decided on the plan known as Alternative CC, which was largely supported by conservation groups who viewed the plan as a more balanced approach to solving the water quality issues across South Florida.

How does this new plan impact Southwest Florida?

Continue Reading Army Corps of Engineers announce new Lake Okeechobee Management Plan