The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District announces a Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) Project Delivery Team (PDT) Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, August 25, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“The purpose of the August 25 Project Delivery Team Meeting is to kick off Iteration 3 operational guidance development,” said LOSOM Project Manager Tim Gysan. “We are going to explain the role of the PDT, stakeholders and members of the public during this next phase. We’ll discuss the specifics on how they can be involved in the development of operational guidance and water management tools that we will use to make our day-to-day water management decisions in the future.”
“We need to identify specific operational criteria and guidance for water managers. Continued PDT involvement is incredibly important to help identify and develop the concepts to provide the plan the ability to facilitate smart decisions based conditions on the ground,” said Gysan. “For example, we are looking for specific input on how the USACE should consider algal blooms in the system when making water management decisions under LOSOM.”
“The operating plan for Lake Okeechobee encompasses more than just lines on a plot, it’s the details that support those lines that really provide the everyday decision-making guidance, said Gysan. This will all be documented in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Water Control Plan. The process of optimization and developing the operational guidance, Iteration 3, will continue through mid-October.”
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.
The Project Delivery Team (PDT) members include only the federal officials and elected officers of state, local or tribal governments or their designated employees with authority to act on their behalf acting in their official capacities.
Members of the public (PUBLIC) are welcome to attend the government agency PDT meeting and provide comment during the designated Public Comment periods.
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LOSOM PDT Meeting – LOSOM Operational Guidance
Wednesday, August 25, 2021, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
https://usace1.webex.com/meet/lisa.e.aley
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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.