Water-Related News

Computer models seek the best plan for Lake O management

JACKSONVILLE — What’s the best plan for outflows from Lake Okeechobee, to the east, west and south? How low should the lake go before the start of the dry season? How high should it rise in the wet season?

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District are working on a new plan to manage the lake, which will go into effect when repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike are complete in 2022.

At the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) Project Delivery Team online meeting on Nov. 20, corps officials reviewed the project objectives and the results of 120,000 computer model runs.

“We have completed development of conceptual plans,” explained Lisa Aley of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “We have the model results of 120,000 runs. We are sifting through the plans for each project objective.

“We want to make sure we aren’t too conservative up front and leave any benefits on the table,” she added.