Guest Commentary: New Lake O Management Plan Must Consider Impact on Southwest Florida | News, sports, jobs

Lee County Commission Chairman Kevin Ruane. PHOTO PROVIDED

The devastating algae summer 2018 in our waterways is still fresh in our memories. With this in mind, the US Army Corps of Engineers, with the support of the South Florida Water Management District, is rewriting the rules for handling water in Lake Okeechobee (a process called LOSOM). For too long, Lee County has borne the burden of being the main drain for a flood protection and water supply system developed and administered for the east coast and inland Florida.

This system has permanently changed our ecosystem, which has resulted in us relying on Lake Okeechobee to balance the salinity in our estuary. Although we are not a beneficiary, we are constantly being asked to bear the greatest burden of this system by accepting harmful discharges in the rainy season to the detriment of our environment, while in the dry season we starve our estuary with water. Ideally, those who benefit from this flood protection and water supply system would bear the negative effects and not simply pass them on to us. To add insult to injury, our residents are being taxed in order to maintain this unjust system when we ourselves have flood control and water supply needs.

As the newly elected district commissioner, my top priority was to improve the water quality for our community. Lee County can no longer be an afterthought when it comes to how the Army Corps and SFWMD manage lake levels or address floods throughout the system. For the past decade, I’ve worked with the district and the corps to level the playing field. However, the revision of the rules for the Corps’ handling of Lake Okeechobee is a unique opportunity for immediate effect.

After the Corps has its array of “Balanced framework” in order to administer the lake, I turned to the district commander of the army corps to express my concerns directly. In response, Colonel Kelly listened to our concerns. He has also communicated with local residents, business owners and a team of technical experts united in their frustration and expectations for improvement.

While Everglades restoration projects are ultimately the tool for achieving a balance in the system, LOSOM should seek to create a more equitable system in which tangible improvements to the Caloosahatchee are demonstrated. In no case should LOSOM exacerbate the current imbalance where the Caloosahatchee and Lee Counties continue to have the greatest flood control impacts in other communities. Since arriving in Florida, Colonel Kelly has listened and responded to the needs of our community. We sincerely expect the Colonel to have listened to our message and respond with a plan to end the devastation of our environment.

Lee County Commission chairman Kevin Ruane represents District 1.

See similar https://www.pineisland-eagle.com/2021/06/23/guest-commentary-new-lake-o-management-plan-must-address-impacts-to-southwest-florida/

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