You may have heard that we teamed up with our friends and neighbors across the greater Everglades with a unified voice to call upon the US Army Corps of Engineers to send water south for environment and water supply in their update to the Lake Okeechobee Systems Operating Manual (LOSOM).
The South Florida Water Management District will soon be weighing in on LOSOM, and their role as state partner in restoration is important as the Corps narrows in on the final iteration of the operating plan. That’s why we provided these comments at the South Florida Water Management Governing Board meeting on June 10th:
“This appears to be the first week of 2021 that Florida Bay has seen average rather than historically low salinities across the estuary. I think that is something worth celebrating. This is due largely in part to the work of this board and district, who we have seen lean into the challenges and barriers to sending water south to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay again and again.
This is also why I want to bring up the subject that is weighing heavily on all of our minds, which is the Lake Okeechobee Systems Operating Manual. I am so pleased to see that there will be a special call meeting on the 29th dedicated specifically to this issue. This leaves just a few weeks for each of you to reflect on the immense opportunity that comes with your declared position on LOSOM. The District controls half of outflows from the lake and will play a critical role in sending lake water south to the STAS in partnership with the Army Corps in the resulting manual.
I urge each of you, as you move through this meeting today and look forward to the task ahead, that you do exactly what you have been doing since each of you were appointed to this board, to lean into the challenge of sending water south. To ponder how LOSOM can reduce harm to communities in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee, who have been subject to repeated public health crises and ecological collapse. To question how LOSOM can safeguard water supply and ecology in the southern Everglades, and my home in Monroe County by supporting the plan that sends the maximum amount of water south. And finally, to imagine how LOSOM can ultimately support the achievement of the mission and goals of this district and board. I think you will find in your analysis of these questions that alternatives CC for iteration 2 meets all of these benchmarks.
We are at a critical juncture in this process, and the opportunity in front of you, to help support a lake schedule that truly benefits all of the estuaries and the residents you represent, is immense. So, I look forward to hearing the discussion from this board on your position for LOSOM, to today’s meeting, and for the special call meeting in the weeks to come. I urge you to lean into this opportunity. Thank you. “
The time to make our voices heard is now. The US Army Corps will be zeroing in on the final plan over the next month and there will be opportunities throughout the month of June to learn more about the plans and how they could potentially benefit Florida Bay and reduce harm to the estuaries.
There will be designated opportunities for public comment during the PDT meeting and technical workshops. If you would like to provide public comment, in addition to your initial check-in, we request that you WAIT to add your name to the chat to provide public comment until the public comment period is announced, and then provide your full name and affiliation to everyone on the chat again at that time to reserve your opportunity to provide public comment. This will make it easier for everyone to track who will be next up to provide public comment.
For those who cannot attend the online PDT meeting or technical workshops, but wish to provide a comment, please send those comments by email to LakeOComments@usace.army.mil (recommended subject: LOSOM PDT Meeting Comments).
Here are the meeting dates, times, and sign-on information:
LOSOM PDT Meeting – Iteration 2 Performance Review
Thursday, June 17, 2021, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
https://usace1.webex.com/meet/earl.t.gysan
Call-in toll-free number: 1-844-800-2712
Call-in number:1-669-234-1177
Access Code: 1997788788
LOSOM Iteration 2 Evaluation Technical Workshop
Tuesday, June 22, 2021, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
https://usace1.webex.com/meet/lisa.e.aley
+1-844-800-2712 US Toll Free
+1-669-234-1177 US Toll
Access code: 199 737 9512
Password: 1234
LOSOM Iteration 2 Evaluation Technical Workshop
Wednesday, June 30, 2021, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
https://usace1.webex.com/meet/lisa.e.aley
+1-844-800-2712 US Toll Free
+1-669-234-1177 US Toll
Access code: 199 737 9512
Password: 1234