Army Corps finally signs historic new Lake O management plan
The new plan to regulate Lake Okeechobee’s level and curb harmful discharges to the St. Lucie River took effect Monday after five years of work, officials announced Tuesday.
The Army Corps of Engineers Monday signed the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, which determines how, when and how much water the agency can release from the 730-square-mile lake to prevent water breaching the Herbert Hoover Dike.
“This is an awesome milestone,” said Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart. “It’s great that this is immediate because we’re still in the storm season, and we need a new schedule as soon as possible.”
