Army Corps of Engineers

New guidelines regulating when polluted water can flow from Lake Okeechobee through this spillway in Moore Haven and into the Caloosahatchee River, and other waterways leading from the lake to the Atlantic Ocean, are now official after years in the Army Corps of Engineers pipeline

The when, where, and how of water releases from Lake Okeechobee now official

Tom Bayles

The Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual — LOSOM , a set of guidelines on how, when, and where water will be released from Lake Okeechobee — was made official this week

Soon, the only thing traveling through the Port Mayaca Lock and Dam will be boats, as releases of water from Lake Okeechobee through Port Mayaca into the St. Lucie Canal will all but cease under the new management plan for distributing excess water from the lake

Environment

Moving how much water, where, when: A new guide for Lake O

Tom Bayles

The new plan to manage the water flow from Lake Okeechobee throughout the Everglades is making its final rounds among various higher-ups before expected approval in the fall.

When the Army Corps stopped releasing millions of gallons of water down the Caloosahatchee River to lower the level of Lake Okeechobee, weather conditions changed, leaving the waterway nearly stagnant without water flowing from the lake toward the Gulf of Mexico; so the releases have resumed, but at a lesser rate

Environment

Smaller releases of polluted Lake O water before hurricane season OK with conservation group

Tom Bayles

There has been a change of heart that releases of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River are no longer a near-apocalypse happening but rather a beneficial event

The Army Corps has closed floodgates like this one, shown open during the release of tens of billions of gallons of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee during the past six weeks, to allow the environment to recover; whether the gates will reopen will be decided later this week

Environment

Army Corps puts two-week hold on polluted Lake O water flowing into Caloosahatchee

Tom Bayles

The Army Corps of Engineers has stopped releasing 3.5 million gallons of water every day from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River for two weeks to allow the environment to recover

One of the residential developments held up by a U.S. district judge is Kingston, which will be located near this land by the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Environment

Federal judge halts developments where panthers remain in the western Everglades

Tom Bayles

A U.S. district judge ruled that by putting Florida in charge of approving permits for projects that affect wetlands in the state, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Environmental Protection Agency violated the Endangered Species Act.Washington, D.C.-based Judge Randolph Moss, in a 97-page decision, found that actions by federal officials did not follow the required steps in 2020 before shifting permitting authority to Florida.

Floodgates will be opened this week allowing nearly 900 million gallons of water to spill from Lake Okeechobeee into the Caloosahatchee River, but call it "sedimentary science" not "lowering the level of the lake."

Water Quality Report: Releases to lower water level in Lake Okeechobee starting, whatever it's called

Tom Bayles

Lake Okeechobee is high for this time of year so we must consider releases to lower water levels before the wet and hurricane seasons no date to open the floodgates has been determined — or has it?

Environment

Water Quality Report: Lake Okeechobee is rather full these days

Tom Bayles

Lake Okeechobee is nearing the high-water level mark that the Army Corps is comfortable with, but a strengthened Herbert Hoover Dike and better management seem to be alleviating fears to this point

Volunteers are needed to help planting 15,000 wildflowers and grasses at the W.P. Franklin South Lock and Dam Recreation Area near Alva on National Public Lands Day, Saturday, September 23, from 7:30 a.m. through noon. The plantings will be in an area that was previously a large open field, to provide habitat restoration and educational opportunities for the local community.

Environment

Volunteers needed to plant native wildflowers, grasses at W.P. Franklin South Recreation Area

WGCU Staff

Volunteers are needed to help plant wildflowers and grasses at the W.P. Franklin South Lock and Dam Recreation Area near Alva on National Public Lands Day, Saturday, Sept. 23, from 7:30 a.m. through noon.

A family of volunteers plant Coontie, the larval host plant for the Atala butterfly, which is listed as endangered by the State of Florida.

Environment

Volunteers invited to plant native flowers at W.P. Franklin South area

WGCU Staff

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inviting volunteers to plant native flowers at W.P. Franklin South Recreation Area on June 24 during National Pollinator Week.

Democracy Watch

Army Corps coastal risk study looking for public input, pending approval from Collier County

Riley Hazel

Additional measures to mitigate damage from Hurricane-related events might be in Collier County’s future if commissioners agree to a study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.