Lee County commissioners vote to sue feds over planned Lake O water releases
Published: August 3, 2021 4:37 PM EDT
Updated: August 3, 2021 6:15 PM EDT
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Lee County commissioners are prepared to bring legal action against the Army Corps of Engineers if there aren’t substantial changes to the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, or LOSOM.
LOSOM seeks to establish water releases from Lake O taking into account additional infrastructure that will soon be operational.
Lee County is unhappy with the plan as it stands now because “the overall burden of flood control releases to the Caloosahatchee would increase” and so would the “total volume of water pushed into our estuary,” according to a letter sent to the Army Corps of Engineers by Kevin Ruane, chairman of the Lee County Board of Commissioners.
Army Corps works to reduce blue-green algae flowing in Caloosahatchee
Published: May 14, 2021 4:02 PM EDT
Updated: May 14, 2021 4:35 PM EDT
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Streaks of blue-green algae are flowing through the Caloosahatchee River Friday.
As the algae increases and moves closer to Fort Myers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is taking steps to reduce it.
Josue Correa expected sun and dry weather to be conditions for a nice day on the water with his family.
“I’m trying to get the girls involved with jet skis that we just purchased Monday,” Josue Correa said.
What Correa didn’t expect were algae streaks in the water.
DeSantis says Army Corps of Engineers need more regulation of Lake O discharges
Published: May 10, 2021 10:36 PM EDT
Updated: May 11, 2021 11:11 AM EDT
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Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference Monday calling for more management over Lake Okeechobee discharges. The governor took aim at the Army Corps of Engineers, saying there needs to be more regulation of discharges during the dry season.
DeSantis took a helicopter from Fort Myers to Florida’s east coast on Monday to look at the state’s waterways.
This after more than a dozen water activist groups sent a letter to the governor asking him to declare a state of emergency. He decided against that on Monday.
SWFL Water Crisis: Projects surrounding Lake Okeechobee planned to restore water flow to the Everglades
Published: April 16, 2021 4:11 PM EDT
Updated: April 16, 2021 6:23 PM EDT
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From Southwest Florida beaches to the shores of Lake Okeechobee and every river and creek in between, water drives the health of the environment, economy, and us.
In Florida, water once slowly flowed from north to south but after what some call “replumbing” water now moves east and west while not enough of it goes south.
Now, there are dozens of projects surrounding Lake Okeechobee in hopes to restore the natural flow.
Projects across the state are in the works to protect water quality and quantity.