As we begin the dry season, the first under the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM), I have made the decision to conduct Recovery Operations for the health of the lake.

For the past five years Lake Okeechobee has experienced several storm events and extended moderately high lake stages. This has led to degraded ecological conditions within the lake to include significant loss of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), high turbidity and nutrient concentrations, and negative changes in emergent vegetation.

There are six considerations for implementing Recovery Operations – lake stage not receding below 13 feet in summer, SAV coverage significantly below 11,000 acres, no strong El Nino, nor strong La Niña forecasted for dry season, lake stage not receding below 11 feet NGVD in the last five years, ecological and Snail Kite conditions, and no water supply concerns. Each of these six considerations have been met, and current projections show that conditions this dry season are favorable for success.

Of all the considerations mentioned, the most concerning is the current SAV coverage. SAV is critical for the overall health of the lake in providing fish spawning habitat and extracting nutrients from the water. SAV coverage of less than 11,000 acres is considered degraded habitat, and currently, there is less than 4,000 acres present; the lowest in five years.

Under the current plan, the goal of recovery is to lower lake levels before the onset of the wet season to allow for recovery of lake ecology, specifically SAV. The operational strategy for these operations intends to slowly bring water levels down by making moderate, non-harmful releases to the estuaries while also sending maximum beneficial flow south to the Everglades. Lowering water levels will allow light to penetrate to the bottom and allow SAV to regerminate and regrow during the April-July period. Regrowth of SAV in Lake Okeechobee will reduce water turbidity and nutrient concentrations. Improved water quality within the lake is beneficial to the estuaries if large releases are necessary in the coming seasons/years.

Consistent with LOSOM, the maximum allowable releases under Recovery Operations are:

•   Up to 2,100 cfs at S-79 to the Caloosahatchee River Estuary (CRE);

   •  Up to 1,400 cfs total St. Lucie Estuary (SLE) inflows (S-80 + S-97 + S-49 + Gordy Road);

•  Up to 300 cfs to the Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL) at S-271 and S-352;

• Up to maximum practicable south at S-351 and S-354.

Releases will be made in the most beneficial way possible. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will continue to collaborate with South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and other partners to evaluate flow and salinity to inform estuary releases on a weekly basis. Depending on conditions, releases will either be made as a pulse or a constant flow targeted at S-80 and S-79. I want to highlight that the releases allowed under Recovery Operations are within the RECOVER optimal flow envelope for the estuaries.  Although salinity fluctuations are anticipated due to freshwater releases, modeling for the Recovery Operations shows improvements for the lake while maintaining overall beneficial effects to the estuaries.

Flow south from the lake has started to increase significantly, as water supply demand has picked up early in this dry season. Flow south to the Everglades will occur based upon capacity of the state’s Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA’s) and the capacity of the Water Conservation Areas (WCA’s) to the south. The capacity of those will generally increase as we move through the dry season.

Exactly when and how much to release within limits will be based on the considerations including, but not limited to, coordination with stakeholders and partner agencies, current and historical lake levels, recession rates, climate outlooks, El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forecasts, precipitation forecasts, drought conditions, water-supply conditions, and nesting activities and ecological conditions in the lake, Northern Estuaries, and the Greater Everglades. We will be constantly monitoring the entire system, and the recovery releases and strategy can be discontinued at any time throughout the dry season if warranted.

Some examples of conditions which may warrant a change of course either within the allowable limits of Recovery Operations or to revert to normal Zone D operations:

• Lake stages, recession rates, and stage projections into early summer as we go through the dry season. Current or forecasted lake stages too low or recession rates too high would cause us to consider reduction in outflows. Recession rates are important considerations for lake ecology.

•  Estuary conditions such as salinity and algal blooms will be evaluated regularly. Overly fresh conditions in the estuaries would cause us to consider reduction in outflows. The USACE will be looking for guidance on lake releases from partner agencies and local stakeholders with expertise on these conditions if there is a red tide event.

• Everglades conditions will be evaluated regularly. Location and magnitude of releases from the lake, via the STAs, will be adjusted to be made in the most beneficial manner possible.

The LOSOM plan includes many different components which were developed directly in response to concerns by stakeholders that prior lake water control plans were not adaptable enough to real world problems happening in the system. The Zone D operational strategy is the biggest one, where it aims to balance project purposes. We have the flexibility to address these issues now because we have new tools, including Recovery Operations, and we need to use them as intended.

We remain committed to collaboration, communication, and transparency with our partners, stakeholders and the public throughout this process.