MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — WPTV reporter Cassandra Garcia learned Thursday that the Army Corps of Engineers will begin water releases from Lake Okeechobee next month, setting off another round of concerns from residents and environmental groups.
The freshwater discharges from the lake will be to the east and west starting Dec. 7.
The Army Corps said the water releases could last as long as May 1 as they work to reduce the levels of the lake.
Lake Okeechobee's water level is currently at 16 feet. The Army Corps is working to lower it to 11 1/2 feet during the dry season.
After five years of debate and discussion, the Army Corps of Engineers announced in August the final implementation of the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) water release schedule.
Protecting Paradise
'WE ARE FINALLY HERE': New Lake Okeechobee water release schedule takes effect
LOSOM replaced the previous release schedule from 2008 and serves 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.
"NO REASON TO DAMAGE THE ST. LUCIE ESTUARY"
At a Rivers Coalition meeting Thursday in Stuart the Army Corps cited a need for what they call "lake recovery operations" to improve lake health. This is the only time under LOSOM that discharges are allowed to the east and west when they initiate this so-called "recovery mode."
"[Lake Recovery operations] allow subaquatic vegetation to regrow, regerminate, to be able to perform under the wet season," said Maj. Cory Bell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Commander for South Florida.
The Florida Oceanographic Society is among the environmental groups concerned by the discharges because of ongoing water quality issues on the Treasure Coast after runoff caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
"We see that there's a high probability of success," Bell said. "At any point in time that Lake Okeechobee recovery operations are not being successful, and we deem that the predictability will not have a high percentage, we can stop flows."
Environmental groups like Friends of the Everglades worry that these discharges would do more harm than good in the dry season.
"The lake is going to draw down naturally. There's no reason to damage the St. Lucie Estuary right now when it's already in bad condition, not knowing if it's going to help the lake," Eve Samples, the executive director of Friends of the Everglades.
Many residents are now hoping the Army Corps will reconsider the discharges.
"We're already going into recovery without giving the estuaries a few years under the new lake schedule," Martin County resident Jacquie Thurlow-Lippisch said.
"We're calling on Col. Bowman at the Army Corps of Engineers to halt these operations," Samples added.
