JACKSONVILLE — Brig. Gen. Daniel Hibner, Commander, South Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, signed the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) Record of Decision (ROD) on Aug. 12, completing the final step in the approval process to allow Jacksonville District to implement LOSOM in place of Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule 2008 (LORS08) for the management of Lake Okeechobee.

“Our Nation made a $1.8 Billion investment in the rehabilitation of Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD) to allow development of a new operating manual that balances the needs of the entire system, said Col. Brandon Bowman, Jacksonville District commander. “LOSOM was developed over five years in collaboration with more than 50 stakeholder groups, and the value of that time investment, the cooperation it took to develop the plan, and the trust that was built with stakeholders matches that significant monetary investment.”

The new lake schedule has been praised by east coast residents, since it includes no lake releases to the St. Lucie Canal.

Lake Okeechobee area residents have voiced concerns the new schedule will damage the lake's ecology. The lake's environmental envelope ranges from 12 feet at the start of the wet season to 15.5 feet at the start of the dry season. LORS-08 stayed close to that range. The new schedule allows water levels up to 17.25 feet.

Water users south of Lake O, including farmers in the Everglades Agricutural Area and urban areas such as West Palm Beach have also expressed concerns about water supply under the new schedule.

In total, the five-year process included 10 scoping meetings that generated more than 22,000 comments, 23 full project delivery team meetings with dozens more sub-team and technical meetings, six educational webinars, two water management workshops, and multiple roadshows to meet with stakeholders in their communities.

The evaluations presented at the meetings showed the new schedule helps other areas in the watershed, it is detrimental to Lake Okeechobee ecology.

The final EIS and Water Control Plan were released for public review on May 24, 2024, and the plan was sent to South Atlantic Division for approval on July 19, 2024. LOSOM takes effect as of August 12, 2024, and the Jacksonville District will continue to transparently communicate and collaborate with its partners and stakeholders as it works on implementation of the plan.