Concern for Florida Ag? New Operations Manual for Lake Okeechobee Proposed
September 4, 2021 
The new operations manual for Lake Okeechobee will dictate water levels and discharges for years to come.
In July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced its decision for the operations scheduled for Lake Okeechobee. The LOSOM (Lake Okeechobee System Operation Manual), also known as Plan CC, will dictate lake levels and releases for at least the next decade.
With blue-green algae and red tide in the headlines, the LOSOM decision was highly anticipated — and has had mixed reviews — from South Florida stakeholders who rely on the lake’s water. The online meeting announcing the plan drew 300 people. The plan would replace the current manual, which was written in 2008.
The proposed LOSOM would keep lake levels higher for a longer period of time and allow for raised levels up to 17 feet above sea level. The current schedule holds optimum levels between 12.5 feet and 15.5 feet. Some ecologists argue that is too high a level for the health of the lake.
The plan also recommends lowering discharges eastward from the lake into the sensitive St. Lucie Estuary. It would also increase flows into the Everglades and Florida Bay by 52% during the dry season.
Opposition from the West
The new LOSOM would increase discharges to the west from the lake into the Caloosahatchee River. That has set the stage for a bit of a west coast vs. east coast divide on who has to take discharges to lower lake levels.
Five Southwest Florida congressional representatives from districts to the west and north of the lake are critical of the plan. U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Sarasota) penned a letter that noted the plan does not secure enough water supplies for agriculture and municipalities in addition to the higher, potentially polluting discharges into the Caloosahatchee. The other representatives co-signed the letter.
The letter states: “While Plan CC appears to meet certain project purposes including flood control, navigation, and recreation, it falls short on other purposes. In the case of water supply, more than 7 million Floridians and thousands of businesses tied to tourism, agriculture, health care, and construction depend on water supply from Lake Okeechobee.
“Throughout the LOSOM process, we have heard the need for ‘shared adversity.’ However, as mentioned during public briefings, Plan CC results in more frequent damaging discharges to the Caloosahatchee River in favor of fewer discharges to the St. Lucie River Basin. Lake Okeechobee’s ecology itself also seems to fare less well than our constituents expected under Plan CC. We strongly urge you to correct these disparities as the plan is optimized.”
Agriculture and Environmentalists’ Take
Growers in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) and surrounding areas have expressed concerns over the plan and its potential impacts on water supply for farms. U.S. Sugar, in a statement, noted the plan falls short and needs to be optimized.
In general, environmental groups expressed support for the plan, stating it is a good starting point for more balanced management of the lake, although the groups would like to see even more water delivered to the Everglades during the dry season.
The LOSOM will be finalized in October and implemented in the latter part of 2022. It will remain in place until the construction of the $1.3 billion, 240,000-acre-foot EAA reservoir is completed in 2027.