Army Corps officials to decide on summer water plan

MOORE HAVEN, Fla. — Clean water advocates from all over the state met to discuss a plan that could solve some of the state’s water issues.

Members of local environmental advocacy groups said it starts with Lake Okeechobee.

Congressman Brian Mast as well as representatives for Congressman Byron Donalds, connected with Captains for Clean Water, Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation and Friends of the Everglades.

The Army Corps of Engineers will announce their Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) later this summer. The manual will determine how, where and how much water will be released from the lake over the next decade.

“If we don’t get this right,” Mast said, “there’s no guarantee that we get to address this in ten years, 20 years or even 30 years.”

The group of advocates are pushing for ‘Plan CC’, which is one of five proposed plans the Army Corps is currently considering. The plan would set stricter standards for how much water can be released to the east and west coasts of the state. It would also send more water from the lake south to the Everglades during the dry season. 

“By sending that water south,” Daniel Andrews of Captains for Clean Water said, “you make more capacity for Lake Okeechobee for the summer rains so it doesn’t have to go east or west.”

There’s no guarantee that the Army Corps will choose to move forward with Plan CC. The advocates hope the plan will have a fair shot thanks to their united stance. 

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