Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-21) issued the following statement following her meeting last week with Colonel Kelly, the Commander and District Engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, on the new Lake Okeechobee Operating System Manual (LOSOM), which impacts Lake Okeechobee’s water levels. The new schedule is slated to begin in October 2022.

This recent meeting followed Rep. Frankel’s meetings and calls with the Everglades Foundation, the Everglades Trust, local farmers, mayors from surrounding cities, and the Nature Conservancy—all of whom are concerned about the quality and amount of water they will receive from Lake Okeechobee. 

“Colonel Kelly assured me that the Corps will continue to work with our local stakeholders as the Corps develops the new schedule for Lake operations,” said Rep. Frankel. “I will continue to monitor this process as the plan is developed and advocate for a balanced approach based on science.”

The key points from the meeting were as follows:

• The Corps is projecting to announce the preliminary 10-year plan that will begin in October 2022 during first week of August.
• Colonel Kelly promises to go through the data with interested stakeholders prior to the announcement.
• The Colonel stated that the preliminary plan is only a framework and there will be ample time to fully develop the plan and get stakeholder feedback as the plan is created and modified.
• The Corps is committed to balancing the needs of all the stakeholders and water users.

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