Five years ago we had an opportunity for change.

We seized it. And now, at long last, that change has come.

On Monday the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division Commander signed a Record of Decision for the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, or LOSOM. The new lake management plan is a marked improvement over its predecessor, LORS08; it is expected to reduce total discharges to the St. Lucie River by 37%, and reduce harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee River also by 37%, with an improvement in beneficial flows.

“LOSOM isn’t a cure-all,” said VoteWater Executive Director Gil Smart. “When the lake gets really high, discharges will still blast the ‘northern estuaries’ in high volumes. But LOSOM provides the Corps with more flexibility and it’s the first plan that acknowledges the need to send more clean water south to the Everglades.”

It’s been a long time coming. The process began in February 2019 with seven public meetings around South Florida, including one in Stuart; prior to that meeting, VoteWater — then called Bullsugar.org — hosted a community briefing that included Congressman Brian Mast and the Center for Biological Diversity.

We also urged turnout at subsequent community meetings, in workshops and online forums; Bullsugar/VoteWater attended all of them. Computer modeling prompted more rounds of meetings; we were there — and you were too.

At every juncture the community got educated, turned up in droves and made its voice heard. Our involvement and input — YOUR involvement and input — made a definitive difference and helped produce a more equitable plan than we might otherwise have seen.

Thank you for doing what you did; our estuaries and our communities are better off for it.