Captains for Clean Water is asking for your help to improve south Florida’s water management! If you’ve been following this issue for years or just a couple of months, you  understand the role Lake Okeechobee management plays. Effective and pro-active management would send as much water south, through the everglades, so there is available capacity during the rainy season. This strategy would minimize the harmful discharges to the Caloosahatche River that contribute fuel to current and past harmful algal blooms and fish kills.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the lake through LOSOM (the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual). Currently, LOSOM is going through a once in a decade process to provide revisions and updates. Captains for Clean Water has been intimately involved in the process since 2018, but now needs public support to advocate for the best alternative and responsible water management. 

URGENT: The Army Corps is deciding how water from Lake Okeechobee will be managed for the NEXT 10 YEARS. Email them now!

A couple of weeks ago, the Army Corps announced plan CC as their preferred alternative and began a listening tour to hear from stakeholders. The Army Corps Jacksonville District Commander, Colonel Andrew Kelly, visited SW  Florida Monday, July 26th, and Captains for Clean Water had the chance to sit down and talk with Colonel Kelly.

“Thanks to Colonel Kelly for visiting SWFL on Monday,” said Captain Daniel Andrews, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Captains  For Clean Water. “He told our supporters that  their voice matters and now it’s time to do our part. The two main changes we need  to focus on are significant reductions in wet season discharges to the Caloosahatchee and beneficial flows to Caloosahatchee and Everglades across all bands. We can’t let off the gas now…we need everyone to take action, this is mission critical!”  

 

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Be sure to check out Captains for Clean Water and email the Corps today! Florida’s coastal ecosystems are some of the most productive in the word, but are faltering due to decades of mismanagement.