LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Following a heated exchange Monday, the Chairman of the Lee County Commission, Kevin Ruane, submitted a counter-proposal to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for what he thinks is a more balanced distribution plan for future water releases from Lake Okeechobee. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to put together a 10-year guidebook for how water releases are to be handled at Lake Okeechobee. They recently released a preliminary plan, but some advocacy groups and community leaders in Southwest Florida said they worry about its implications for our area. At the helm of the project is Colonel Kelly who’s been traveling around the state of Florida getting feedback from stakeholders on both coasts. NBC2 spoke with Commissioner Ruane Wednesday as he announced a counter-proposal. “This is step one,” Ruane said. “This is to make sure our community understands what’s at stake, to make sure they become engaged, to make sure their voices are heard because they need to pick up the phone and they need to email and let the colonel know exactly why it’s important to their area.” “My job is to advocate and educate the community,’ Ruane said. “So, we’re one voice obviously advocating for the changes necessary.” Those changes are primarily focused on limiting how much water’s funneled towards Southwest Florida during the rainy season. He said he also wants to see changes to where water flow is measured from. Under the current proposal, flow is measured closer to Lake Okeechobee at a site called S77. Ruane and his team said they think it should be measured at the Franklin Lock (S79) farther downstream. “Think about last night, think about today. We had rain. Our watershed gets full,” he said. Ruane said the amount of water that makes its way into the Caloosahatchee between S77 and S79 (Franklin Lock) can skew flow numbers. “We want to be measured the same way as 79 the Franklin Locks to include our watershed. So then the scientists can calculate what we’re receiving,” he said. “We don’t have to guess.” Ruane said his end goal is to avoid another 2018 which he called the perfect storm. Heavy flows down the Caloosahatchee contributed to toxic algae outbreaks in Southwest Florida. “If this gets rammed down our throat with really no modifications or a slight modification we will legally challenge it,” Ruane said. “We will file the necessary papers to challenge what is wrong about this and make it right.” Public comment ends on August 5th.