By April Day
Unlike other recent years, this summer, Florida’s residents and visitors enjoyed clear water. The perennial beach closures and canals clogged with toxic algae were missing. The absence of discharges from Lake Okeechobee contributed to these improvements. The Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, which regulates releases from the lake, will be updated. The updates will go into effect April 2023. The new LOSOM may continue these water improvements.
According to the Federal Register notice of May 21, 2021 for the LOSOM Environmental Impact Statement, the last Lake Okeechobee regulation schedule review was completed over 10 years ago in 2008. This last regulation schedule sought two goals, to improve both lake and northern estuary ecology and to reduce flood risk during the rehabilitation of the Herbert Hoover Dike.
By statute in Section 1106 of the 2018 Water Resources Development Act, Congress directed the Army Corps of Engineers to re-evaluate LOSOM to coincide with rehabilitation of the Herbert Hoover Dike. The new LOSOM policy will last for 10 years, incorporating Herbert Hoover Dike rehabilitation as well as South Florida water restoration projects since the 2008 review.
The Army Corps of Engineers must meet multiple goals with the LOSOM’s new regulation schedule: improve Lake Okeechobee ecological integrity as well as the quantity, quality, timing, and distribution of water moving in the northern estuaries, Water Conservation Areas, and Everglades National Park. Congressionally authorized project purposes must also be balanced. These purposes include flood control; water supply for agricultural, municipal, and industrial uses; regional groundwater control and prevention of saltwater intrusion; enhancement of fish and wildlife; and recreation. The aim of the LOSOM now is to balance a healthy Lake Okeechobee and a healthy St. Lucie estuary.
Areas of direct impact of LOSOM are critical water resources: Lake Okeechobee, Caloosahatchee River and Estuary, St. Lucie Estuary, the Everglades Agricultural Area, and Water Conservation Areas. Among possible, expected impacts of the LOSOM are changing salinity levels in the northern estuaries, changing water levels in the Everglades Agricultural Area and WCAs, potential increases or decreases in algal bloom risk in Lake Okeechobee and the northern estuaries, increases or decreases in water supply and available water for navigation and recreation, and potential impacts to seagrasses, oysters, and endangered and threatened species. Added to these areas and possible, expected impacts, the new LOSOM may also have indirect impacts or have impacts in other areas.
Several stakeholders, including environmentalists and county leaders, have been and are consulting with the Army Corps of Engineers. The LOSOM effort began in late 2018 when the Project Management Plan was developed. Stakeholders that are influenced by the lake operations participated in 10 National Environmental Policy Act scoping meetings throughout February and March 2019.
While there is only an estimated 10% chance of releases from St. Lucie into Lake Okeechobee this year Martin County ecosystem manager John Maehl said to WPTV, a storm event that causes the lake to reach or exceed the 17-foot mark would change that. While some would like there to be no discharges from the St. Lucie estuary to Lake Okeechobee according to WPTV, the new LOSOM will not guarantee that.
In addition to possible impacts that are anticipated to sensitive ecological areas, people have also been voicing concerns about LOSOM and its impact on their access to water. For example, among many others, former Mayor and current U.S. House of Representative Lois Frankel met with the Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Kelly on the new LOSOM regarding these concerns.
The LOSOM will be accompanied by National Environmental Policy Act documentation. While the year 2022 will usher in a new system operating manual, the year 2025 will coincide with the completion of environmental infrastructure that is currently under construction. The FY22 budget includes an allocation of $1,224,000, but the President’s Budget FY23 includes no funds for the project.
According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the Record of Decision for the new system operating manual is scheduled for January 2023.
Comments on the LOSOM Draft Environmental Impact Statement are due Monday, September 12, 2022. Comments will be accepted at the email address provided at saj.usace.army.mil/LOSOM/, which also lists locations where hard copies of the LOSOM EIS are available for public review.
