Your voice is needed to urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to incorporate critical changes into LOSOM that will ensure the protection of the Caloosahatchee and west coast communities.
The Army Corps of Engineers is currently in the process of developing a new regulation schedule for Lake Okeechobee, referred to as the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM). The new plan will guide how water in the lake is managed and the volume and duration of flows sent to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries, and south to the Everglades. LOSOM will replace the current Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS 08) and is anticipated to guide lake operations for the next decade until additional Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects are completed.
The Corps recently selected Alternative CC as the plan that will move forward in the next step of the LOSOM process. They are currently evaluating options to optimize the performance of Alternative CC to better balance the various project purposes, needs of the natural systems, and stakeholders. Between August 6 and 10, the Corps will announce what components of Alternative CC they will optimize in the next modeling phase. Your voice is urgently needed to let the Corps know that we do not accept CC in its current form.
Alternative CC as it exists today would be harmful to the Caloosahatchee for the following reasons:
- Regulatory flows to the Caloosahatchee are measured at the Lake instead of the estuary when conditions are wet, which does not consider watershed runoff. This can result in higher damaging flows to the coast. On the east coast in the St. Lucie, flows are always measured at the estuary. This is an issue of transparency and balance.
- It relies on the Caloosahatchee as the primary outlet for Lake Okeechobee, resulting in significant improvements to some stakeholders at the expense of the Caloosahatchee and west coast communities.
- It increases the total volume of nutrient-laden water that is delivered to the Caloosahatchee and coastal waters that would be available to harmful algal blooms like blue-green algae and red tide.
- It increases the number of days and duration of stressful and harmful flow events (flows greater than 2,100 cubic feet per second) to the Caloosahatchee, impacting salinity and the ecological health of our estuary.
We are asking the Corps to incorporate the following changes into Alternative CC to ensure it is balanced for all stakeholders:
- Measure all discharges to the Caloosahatchee Estuary at the Franklin Lock (S-79).
- Cap regulatory discharges made in Zone D, the primary operational zone, to a maximum of 2,100 cfs at S-79— consistent with the ecological performance targets for the Caloosahatchee estuary.
- Equitably distribute flows across all outlets —south, east, and west—when conditions are wet.
- Allow for beneficial dry season releases to the Caloosahatchee and the Everglades in all zones.
- Minimize or eliminate back flowing of nutrient-rich water from the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) and C-44 basins into the lake.
- Evaluate and improve upon modeling completed by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) in sensitivity run 3.5 (SR3.5), which reduced the harmful high-volume discharges to the Caloosahatchee.
Please click the TAKE ACTION button below to send the Army Corps an email to let them know that the Caloosahatchee cannot be sacrificed to protect other parts of the water management system.
Thank you for taking action on this critical issue!
EMAIL TO SEND
Send emails to:
Colonel Andrew Kelly: Andrew.D.Kelly@usace.army.mil
Lieutenant Colonel Todd Polk: Todd.F.Polk@usace.army.mil
Lake O Comments: LakeOComments@usace.army.mil
Subject line
Optimize Alternative CC to Protect the Caloosahatchee and West Coast Communities
Email content to copy and paste:
I am writing to strongly urge you to incorporate changes into alternative CC that will improve performance for the Caloosahatchee and minimize the impacts to our communities. LOSOM cannot improve performance for other parts of the water management system at the expense of the Caloosahatchee and west coast communities.
The Caloosahatchee has received the lion’s share of the regulatory releases from Lake Okeechobee under the current Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS 08). As a result, my community has had to endure extensive harmful algal blooms that have impacted the ecology of our waters, our quality of life, and our local economy. The harm that has occurred under LORS 08 cannot be perpetuated in LOSOM.
Alternative CC as it is proposed today would increase harmful flows to the Caloosahatchee and increase the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus available for harmful algal blooms like blue-green algae and red tide. During dry periods when the lake is low, alternative CC would limit beneficial flows to the Caloosahatchee and the Everglades. This is unacceptable and must be changed in the next iteration of modeling.
Throughout the LOSOM process the west coast communities have been clear in their request to measure all flows to the Caloosahatchee at the Franklin Lock and Dam (S-79), the structure located at the estuary. This would ensure that the Corps accounts for watershed runoff when making decisions on how much water to release to the west coast. Under LORS 08 and LOSOM alternative CC, all flows to the St. Lucie are measured at S-80, at the estuary. This is an issue of transparency and balance and must be incorporated into alternative CC and the operating plan.
As you move to the next step in the LOSOM process, I ask that you incorporate the following changes to alternative CC:
- Measure all discharges to the Caloosahatchee Estuary at the Franklin Lock (S-79).
- Cap regulatory discharges made in Zone D, the primary operational band, to a maximum of 2,100 cfs— consistent with the ecological performance targets for the Caloosahatchee estuary.
- Equitably distribute flows across all outlets —south, east, and west—when conditions are wet.
- Allow for beneficial dry season releases to the Caloosahatchee and the Everglades in all zones.
- Minimize or eliminate back flowing of nutrient-rich water from the Everglades Agricultural Area and C-44 basins into the lake.
- Evaluate and improve upon modeling completed by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) in SR3.5, which reduced the harmful high-volume discharges to the Caloosahatchee.
I thank you for the hard work that you and your team have invested in developing the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual. I hope that you will consider making the suggested changes to ensure that the Caloosahatchee and west coast communities are considered equally in the process. These changes are essential if you are truly striving for a balanced outcome for LOSOM.
Thanks again for considering my input on the LOSOM process.