'Balancing that, the reason everyone's concerned about the Lake is if you start off at the right place, then it's easier.' 'Right now, the plan calls for no more than 457 CFS (cubic feet per second) during the dry season, where we would look for 800 to 1000 CFS to have the right salinity purposes,' said Ruane. Lucie estuaries cannot handle large volume releases, and low level releases are problematic, too. One big concern is that, by keeping the Lake levels higher, even if the Herbert Hoover Dike can handle it, the Caloosahatchee and St.

Andrew Kelly, calling the Corp’s proposals devastating. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District Commander Col. Last month, Lee County Commission Chairman Kevin Ruane, with support from other county commissioners, sent a letter to U.S. Others want more time to properly evaluate the plans. Yet keeping the Lake’s elevation at 17 feet or higher has some in Lee County concerned.

Army Corps of Engineers completes nearly $2 billion in much-needed repairs to the aging Herbert Hoover Dike.

Known as the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, the Corps is hoping to approve a new plan by August 4 that will determine when and how much water is discharged from Lake Okeechobee, and where that water will go.Īll of the proposals so far would raise the lake by at least a 1.5 feet, once the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reevaluating its operation plan managing Lake Okeechobee water levels and water releases from the lake.

Seen by Lucie V. Ande