Army Corps delays LOSOM announcement by two weeks; needs more time to evaluate input
Max Chesnes
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District is delaying by two weeks the announcement of a new schedule to manage Lake Okeechobee, Lt. Col. Todd Polk said during a South Florida media conference call Friday.
Corps officials cited the need for more time to evaluate input on data, including what will determine when, where and how much lake water is sent to the St. Lucie River for roughly the next decade. The announcement is now expected Nov. 16.
The scheduling change comes one day after the Corps heard a broad range of feedback from Lake O's stakeholders, including the Treasure Coast community, on what they think the current proposed plan gets right — and also what it gets wrong.
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Staring down the barrel
Over the past three months, the Corps has continued to revise the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM), whittling roughly 240,000 model runs to just eight.
All eight would increase the amount of Lake O water flowing through the Port Mayaca Lock & Dam and east toward the river each year compared to what the Corps originally proposed as a framework in July, according to agency data presented Tuesday.
"I want to make clear that I have a very real frustration and anger as to how last week played out," U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, told Corps officials during a virtual feedback session Thursday.
"I've had a loaded gun pointed at me, and I feel like the St. Lucie (River) is in that situation right now. It's got a loaded gun pointed at it," Mast said. "I don't support the eight plants as they're currently drafted."
Prime rib, fish or chicken?
Treasure Coast lawmakers and clean-water advocates broadly view LOSOM as an improvement from the most recent operating system employed by the Corps since 2008 — the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule 2008.
LOSOM as it was presented Tuesday will cut back on annual discharges to the river and benefit the overall Lake O watershed. Stakeholders also applauded the Corps for its transparency and willingness to accept public feedback throughout the process.
But they took issue this week with what some called an "11th hour" change to the plan which, in its latest iteration, ramps up discharges to the estuary compared to what was proven to be possible in July.
John Maehl, Martin County's ecosystem restoration manager, likened the decision to a dinner party. If you go to a dinner party promised prime rib, and you're instead served chicken, you may be a bit disappointed by the meal.
"Even though I'm happy to eat chicken any part of the day," Maehl said during a virtual Rivers Coalition meeting Thursday.
Why the delay?
Polk, the Corps' deputy commander for South Florida, denied Friday that the delay in the LOSOM announcement by two weeks was specifically because of frustrations raised by those concerned for the future health of the St. Lucie River.
Concerns were also raised about the ecology of Lake O, Polk noted. He also said the feds are taking a step back to evaluate input from some state agencies that raised concerns about the current data, although he didn't specify who was concerned.
"We've got input from all over the place," Polk told reporters on a media call. "It was not just the east coast stakeholders."
Looming lawsuits?
The Corps was also asked by TCPalm this week whether ongoing lawsuits or the threat of future legal action have impacted its decision-making throughout the LOSOM process.
Three sugar-farming companies in August filed separate but similar lawsuits over the EAA reservoir. The dispute is over the amount of irrigation water they're allowed to take from Lake O — water that historically flowed south to replenish the thirsty Everglades.
Lee County has also threatened to sue the Corps unless they listened to calls to send more water to the south and east instead of down the Caloosahatchee River to Southwest Florida.
"We don’t discuss specifics about ongoing or potential litigation," Corps spokesperson Jim Yocum wrote TCPalm in an email.
"That said, ongoing or potential legal action has no effect on our commitment to work with all stakeholders and partners to find the best solutions for getting the water right in South Florida," Yocum wrote.
"We’re going to continue to actively seek out and listen to the input from all stakeholders, and we remain confident that we will complete the LOSOM process and have a new operating manual ready in time to take advantage of the completion of the Herbert Hoover Dike rehabilitation," he wrote.
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Max Chesnes is a TCPalm environment reporter focusing on issues facing the Indian River Lagoon, St. Lucie River and Lake Okeechobee. You can keep up with Max on Twitter @MaxChesnes, email him at max.chesnes@tcpalm.com and give him a call at 772-978-2224.