Point of View: With new plan, South Florida water supply hangs in balance

The stakes for South Florida’s water just grew higher, as the Army Corps of Engineers has made its preliminary determination for a new operations schedule for Lake Okeechobee known as LOSOM (Lake Okeechobee System Operations Manual). The need for a new schedule has been undisputed for stakeholders across the region and for the past several years the Army Corps has held numerous meetings on this issue – nearly all of them available to the public. (But) the selected plan CC remains potentially problematic.

Local utilities rely on water delivered through our region’s canals every day, to recharge groundwater and replenish surface waters. Local businesses also depend on this water, as do our local fire departments. And, of course, there’s our local environment, where this fresh water pushes back against the realities of a rapidly changing climate. Without Lake Okeechobee to recharge the underground aquifer beneath our coastline, saltwater would inevitably corrupt our freshwater wells, disrupt our drinking water, and create a costly scenario for millions.

With the new LOSOM framework, all of this begs the question – shouldn’t South Florida’s water supply be prioritized further?

So far, the Army Corps has signaled that the new plan will be more inclusive to stakeholders through management that they refer to as “flexible and balanced.” While this may sound reasonable, the reality could be much different. The approach South Floridians can expect might actually sidestep the legal obligations to protect water supply and allow management of the Lake, and our water, to be considered year to year. This is hugely problematic, given South Florida’s population gains, as well as climate realities that will only worsen. These factors alone require management that is consistent, reliable, and predictable, acknowledging that first, the water needs of nearly 7 million residents are prioritized, and second, that a changing climate requires a water supply that should remain unchanged.

Now begins the “optimization” process of this new operations schedule. We agree with Col. Andrew Kelly that plan CC does not fully meet the water supply needs of the region and are appreciative of the ACOE’s recognition that additional work is needed to improve this. The South Florida Water Coalition will continue to advocate for South Florida’s water supply as this plan is optimized by the ACOE in the coming months.

Rossi is director of the South Florida Water Coalition.