South Florida - Thursday March 23, 2023: The new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual known as LOSOM was supposed to take effect in June this year. But on March 15 the Army Corps of Engineers announced a six-month delay.
Eve Samples, the Executive Director of Friends of the Everglades, says any delay is cause for concern.
“That’s concerning to us because an intense algae bloom is predicted this year," she said. "And we’ve already seen toxic algae in Lake Okeechobee and the estuaries.”
The reason for the delay is that the National Marine Fishers Service wants to take a closer look at the impact LOSOM will have on Red Tide and sea turtles.
“So, the agency has to submit a biological opinion on LOSOM’s impacts," said Samples, "and that’s required by the Endangered Species Act, so this takes some time.”
The new rules for managing the Lake mandate reduced releases from Lake O into the St. Lucie Estuary, thus decreasing the chances of a toxic algae bloom. “This delay could make the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries more vulnerable to toxic algae discharges. The Army Corps of Engineers is promising to be flexible under the old plan, however we know the new plan would have brought more safeguards.”