TALLAHASSEE, Florida — The Army Corps of Engineers could adopt a new plan for controlling water levels in Lake Okeechobee as early as Monday, after years of hearing complaints about lake discharges.
Col. Brandon Bowman, commander of the agency’s Jacksonville District, told reporters Friday the proposed Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, called LOSOM, would provide more flexibility to help reduce discharges that are blamed for algae blooms on rivers and beach closures.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) and environmentalists hope the plan will allow water managers to lower the lake so as to avoid the need for discharges after rainstorms to protect a flood control dike around the water body.
Some water utilities and agricultural interests continue to raise concerns that maintaining a lower lake is a threat to their water supplies during droughts.
