USACE to announce LOSOM Preferred Alternative August 9

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District
Published Aug. 3, 2021
Former cattail area in Moonshine Bay Area of Lake Okeechobee is now diverse following a controlled burn

Former cattail area in Moonshine Bay Area of Lake Okeechobee is now diverse following a controlled burn

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District will announce the Preferred Alternative for the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) during an engagement with the Project Delivery Team, stakeholders, and members of the public on Monday, August 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“The purpose of the engagement on August 9 is to provide the Preferred Alternative, set the goals for optimization in Iteration 3, and to explain the process for the optimization effort and development of Operational Guidance,” said LOSOM Project Manager Tim Gysan.

“We appreciate the immense amount of feedback we’ve received from everyone over the past few years, and value the frank discussions and specific recommendations we’ve received since the preliminary announcement of the Preferred Alternative for the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual on July 19,” said Gysan. “We are carefully considering all of the input we have heard during the face-to-face and virtual meetings we’ve had throughout south Florida during the past few weeks and thank everyone for their time and commitment in helping us develop the next system operating manual for Lake Okeechobee.”

“It’s really important for everyone to understand that we will need the PDT and stakeholders to continue to be fully engaged, as we work on optimization and performance tradeoffs, and the development of the operational guidance that accompanies the schedule,” said Gysan.

“The Lake Okeechobee schedule and written operational guidance together make the operating plan that we will document in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Water Control Plan. The process of optimization and developing the operational guidance, Iteration 3, will continue through October 14.”

The release of the draft EIS for public comment is scheduled for February 2022, the release of a final EIS by July of 2022, and a Record of Decision in November of 2022, so that we have the plan ready to implement as soon as the Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation is complete at the end of 2022.

LOSOM PDT and Stakeholder Engagement – Announcement of Preferred Alternative

Monday, August 9, 2021, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
https://usace1.webex.com/meet/earl.t.gysan

*Suggest logging into the webinar first and having it call you.

If you prefer to log into webinar and call into audio portion, please use numbers below:
Join by phone
Call-in toll-free number (ATT Audio Conference):1-844-800-2712
Call-in number (ATT Audio Conference):1-669-234-1177
Access Code: 1997788788

Additional information is available at: www.saj.usace.army.mil/LOSOM/

The purpose of the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) effort is to reevaluate and define operations for the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule that take into account additional infrastructure that will soon be operational.


Contact
Erica Skolte
561-801-5734 (cell)
Erica.A.Skolte@usace.army.mil

Release no. 21-054