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Dear Friend,, Three years in the making, the Army Corps of Engineers’ new playbook for managing water out of Lake O just hit a new milestone with the release of draft documents that will guide the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM). The consensus of the people has been clear: We are tired of being poisoned by water management policies that over-prioritize benefits to the agricultural industry and leave communities downstream of Lake Okeechobee vulnerable to toxic discharges. LOSOM was an attempt to address the concerns of many competing interests and stakeholders around the lake. And while it’s a definite improvement from the current guiding policy in place (LORS 08), it’s not the panacea that some of us hoped for. As Friends of the Everglades recently outlined in an update, “LOSOM will reduce, but not stop harmful discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. It will increase flows south to the Everglades, but not enough to make a substantial improvement in the ecology of Everglades National Park.” Since the promised benefits will be largely dependent on unpredictable weather patterns and impacted by ever-changing climate, it’s not unlikely that model predictions could be skewed, altering expected benefits to the northern estuaries and the southern Everglades and harming the ecology of the lake itself. So let’s speak to the experts about it. On August 18, we’re inviting you to join us for a live update with Col. James Booth and Tim Gysan of the Army Corps for a discussion about the new Lake O plan, and how the southern half of Florida may be impacted. This conversation will be streamed directly to our Facebook page and our YouTube channel from 2 - 3 p.m. on Thursday, August 18. Register now to join us. — Your friends at Friends of the Everglades |
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