On August 12, 2024, The Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, “LOSOM,” became the official guide used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to equitably manage Lake Okeechobee.
The adoption of LOSOM marks the first time in nearly a century that the water in Lake Okeechobee will be prioritized for all users and not just for the interests of a special few.
The plan enables the Corps to positively impact the region by sending more water south to the Everglades and Florida Bay, where it is desperately needed.
The $2 billion strengthening of the Herbert Hoover Dike that encircles Lake Okeechobee will allow the lake to hold more water safely when needed. LOSOM will guide the Corps in determining how much water is released from the lake, when it will be released, and where it will go.
WHY IS LOSOM NEEDED?
For centuries, Lake Okeechobee provided freshwater to the Everglades and Florida Bay. That flow of water – the lifeblood of the Everglades – began to be siphoned off in the 1900s to accommodate agriculture and development. Disconnecting the Everglades from Lake Okeechobee caused widespread environmental harm, water shortages, and lasting consequences to South Florida’s tourism- and recreation-based economy.
With the official adoption of LOSOM, the Corps has the flexibility needed to address all water needs and capitalize on opportunities to send water south. LOSOM will significantly reduce harmful discharges of polluted lake water to Florida’s east and west coasts and increase water flow south to the Everglades and Florida Bay, particularly in the dry season.
HOW WILL LOSOM BENEFIT MY COMMUNITY?
Coastal communities along the Treasure and Gulf Coasts:
Nutrient pollution in Lake Okeechobee often sparks summertime blue-green algae blooms that can be toxic to wildlife, pets, and humans.
Before the Herbert Hoover Dike was strengthened, high lake levels forced the Corps to discharge excess water east through the St. Lucie and west through the Caloosahatchee River.
The high volume discharges triggered algae blooms in the rivers and estuaries, restricting fishing, closing beaches, and wreaking havoc on local economies. These discharges are also known to exacerbate red tide on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Now, with LOSOM, the Corps can manage lake water to reduce the need for such damaging discharges.
The Everglades and Florida Bay:
Due to being cut off from Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades and Florida Bay have been dependent on rainwater and agricultural runoff for water.
In the dry season, parched conditions in the Everglades harm wildlife habitat and frequently cause wildfires, while Florida Bay suffers from hypersalinity conditions that can destroy seagrass habitat and decimate its famous fisheries.
Everglades restoration seeks to undo these impacts by reinstating the flow of clean freshwater south from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades and Florida Bay. By cleaning and directing more water to the Everglades, LOSOM aligns lake operations—for the very first time—with the goals and objectives of Everglades restoration.
Broward and Miami-Dade Counties:
The fast-growing communities of Broward and Miami-Dade Counties also depend on water from Lake Okeechobee to recharge the Biscayne Aquifer, which is the sole source of drinking water for the region’s residents and tourists.
LOSOM BY THE NUMBERS
The LOSOM approval process has been underway for more than four years, and has encompassed 250,000 separate hydrologic model runs, more than 30 public meetings and workshops, and the submission of 50,000 public comments. After painstaking attention to the concerns of competing stakeholders, LOSOM will:
Reduce high-volume harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee River by 60 percent, a decrease of 48 billion gallons per year;
Reduce harmful discharges into the St. Lucie River by 75 percent, a cutback of 25 billion gallons per year;
Reduce harmful discharges into the Lake Worth Lagoon by 81 percent, a decline of 15 billion gallons per year;
Increase total flows from Lake Okeechobee to America’s Everglades by 242 percent, an increase of 46 billion gallons per year;
Increase dry season flows to the Everglades by 185 percent, or 27 billion gallons per year.
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