Official statement by Dr. Steve Davis, Chief Science Officer of The Everglades Foundation, on July 19’s 2021 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers selection of Alternative CC as their preliminary preferred alternative for the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM)
“The Everglades Foundation is delighted with the Army Corps’ decision to recommend alternative CC as the preliminary preferred alternative for the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual. Although this plan still needs to be optimized to deliver more water south to the Everglades during the dry season, alternative CC is the ideal starting point to a more balanced and fair management of the public’s water.
The Everglades Foundation’s Science Team also concluded that CC is the best alternative from which to optimize and develop a balanced plan for operating Lake Okeechobee. Alternative CC can be optimized to deliver meaningful and equitable reduction of harmful lake discharges to our estuaries. By removing Zone F and lowering Zone D, dry season flows to the Everglades can be further enhanced. Delivering water south, particularly during the dry season, is a proactive water management strategy to improve the estuaries, the Everglades, and the water supply for 5 million residents in South Florida.”
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