WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — After five years of debate and discussion, the Army Corps of Engineers announced they have completed the final step to implement the new water release schedule for Lake Okeechobee.
WPTV has followed the development of the plan and spoke to the community over the last half-decade to get their thoughts about the project.
The Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, or LOSOM, will replace the previous release schedule from 2008 and serve as the guideline for the Army Corps to determine where, when and how much water it releases to the east, west and south of Lake Okeechobee during the dry and wet season.
Brig. Gen. Daniel Hibner of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed off on the new water release schedule on Monday.
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The plan, which was announced in May, is expected to reduce harmful discharges into the St. Lucie Estuary by at least 40%. There was a mixed reaction from the residents that WPTV spoke to who said they were encouraged by the reduction in water from Lake Okeechobee but had been hoping for zero water releases.
"I saw the 40% reduction and that's not what they promised. It's a reduced amount," resident Riki Russell told WPTV in May. "It is a step in the right direction, so I'm not going to take away from what they're trying to do, but for this to really impact us, I would like to see zero discharges."
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., has been a frequent critic of freshwater discharges to the east and had sought a plan that included zero water releases to the Treasure Coast.
"SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN OPERATIONAL PHILOSOPHY"
The Army Corps said Tuesday that the new water release schedule "represents a significant shift in operational philosophy to a system-wide benefits approach."
The agency said in a Tuesday news release that management of Lake Okeechobee will be "focused on making beneficial releases at times and in quantities that improve water supply availability and enhance fish and wildlife in the region."
Officials said LOSOM will improve the ability of water managers to use "system-wide analysis to adapt to real-time conditions to make informed decisions on lake releases."
"Our nation made a $1.8 billion investment in the rehabilitation of Herbert Hoover Dike to allow development of a new operating manual that balances the needs of the entire system," Col. Brandon Bowman, Army Corps Jacksonville District commander, said.
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Discussion of the plan started in 2019 and included a series of 10 public scoping meetings around the state of Florida that generated more than 22,000 comments.
"Historic. Collaborative. Important. We have worked for five years to get to the record of decision, and we are finally here," South Florida Water Management District Board Chairman Chauncey Goss said in a statement.
The new water release schedule took effect Monday.
The Corps previously promised to roll out the new schedule last summer, but its implementation was delayed over environmental concerns, and the impact the lake's water could have on the ecosystem south.
