Article Courtesy of: WPTV – July 19, 2021
By: Meghan McRoberts, Scott Sutton
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday they have selected a plan that will reduce freshwater discharges into the St. Lucie Estuary for at least the next 10 years.
Over the past few weeks, the Army Corps said it has received a significant amount of feedback on the water discharge plan known as the Lake Okeechobee Systems Operating Manual (LOSOM)
Known as “Alternative CC,” the preliminary announcement regarding their highly-anticipated plan could shape South Florida’s environment for years to come.
The Army Corps said it will be a guide of when and where it releases water from Lake Okeechobee, replacing the current plan used by the agency.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday they have selected a plan that will reduce freshwater discharges into the St. Lucie Estuary for at least the next 10 years.
Choosing the final plan was a matter of balancing needs of various stakeholders, and finding what benefits the most interests, such as the ecology of Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, recreation, the environment for the St. Lucie Estuary, algal bloom risk and water quality concerns.
