Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM), Glades, Martin, Palm Beach, Hendry, Lee, St. Lucie and Okeechobee Counties, Florida. Effects May Extend to Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Collier Counties, Florida, 27569-27570 [2021-10761]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 97 (Friday, May 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27569-27570]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-10761]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Lake 
Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM), Glades, Martin, Palm Beach, 
Hendry, Lee, St. Lucie and Okeechobee Counties, Florida. Effects May 
Extend to Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Collier Counties, Florida

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
Jacksonville District (Corps) is beginning preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Lake Okeechobee System 
Operating Manual (LOSOM).

DATES: The draft EIS is scheduled to be released for a minimum 45-day 
public review in conjunction with the draft operation plan in early 
2022. The Final EIS is anticipated in August 2022.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Planning and Policy Division, 
Environmental Branch, 701 San Marco Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32207.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Jessica Menichino at (239) 221-
2024; email at [email protected] or through the mail 
at the above address. Additional information is also available at 
https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/LOSOM/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    a. Purpose and need: The purpose of the LOSOM is to develop a new 
regulation schedule for Lake Okeechobee that accounts for the 
completion of the Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD) rehabilitation and 
considers completed or near complete Comprehensive Everglades 
Restoration Plan (CERP) projects, while balancing the congressionally 
authorized purposes of the Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) Project 
to include flood control, water supply for agricultural, municipal, and 
industrial uses, regional groundwater control and prevention of 
saltwater intrusion, enhancement of fish and wildlife, and recreation. 
The LOSOM aims to develop a new regulation schedule that will improve 
Lake Okeechobee ecological integrity and the quantity, quality, timing, 
and distribution of water moving in the Northern Estuaries, Water 
Conservation Areas (WCAs), and Everglades National Park (ENP), while 
balancing the congressionally-authorized project purposes. The study 
will not propose water quality improvement features and will not 
propose new infrastructure beyond evaluation of already authorized 
projects.
    b. Preliminary alternatives & proposed action: Since the 
development of structural works around Lake Okeechobee, the Lake 
Okeechobee water levels and the distribution, timing, and, magnitude of 
releases out of the lake have been determined by the active regulation 
schedule. The last Lake Okeechobee regulation schedule review, called 
the 2008 Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS 2008), was completed 
in 2008 to improve Lake and Northern Estuary ecology and to reduce 
flood risk during rehabilitation of HHD. The new regulation schedule, 
LOSOM, is being developed to incorporate HHD rehabilitation and 
additional relevant South Florida Ecosystem Restoration projects since 
the LORS 2008 schedule update. Additionally, focused objectives, based 
on updated conditions, new science, and lessons learned since LORS 2008 
was approved, have been developed to better meet the congressionally 
authorized purposes, which will incorporate critical flexibility into 
Lake Okeechobee operations. The balanced array of alternatives will 
include different

[[Page 27570]]

methodologies to balance the congressionally-authorized project 
purposes and the stated goals and objectives of LOSOM to consider 
incorporating the following concepts: (1) Increasing flow south with an 
emphasis on dry season flows, (2) Reducing flows to the St. Lucie 
Estuary through S-308, (3) Reducing high and low flow events to the 
Caloosahatchee River and Estuary, (4) Addressing algal bloom risk, (5) 
Improving water supply, and (6) Managing lake stages for enhancing 
ecology. After the evaluation of the balanced array of alternatives, a 
Tentatively Selected Plan will be chosen and optimized during a third 
round of modeling.
    c. Brief summary of expected impacts: The scope of LOSOM will be 
limited to operational criteria for structures that manage releases 
from Lake Okeechobee, including releases to the east towards the St. 
Lucie Estuary via S-308 and S-80, releases towards the west towards the 
Caloosahatchee Estuary via S-77, S-78, and S-79, and south via S-351, 
S-352, S-354, and S-271. At these structures, LOSOM will define the 
upper and lower limits of flow magnitudes, the duration and timing of 
flows, and lake levels or ranges of levels at different times of year 
(e.g., wet and dry seasons). In addition, it will include the types of 
information used to help inform water management release decisions that 
include, but are not limited to, the following: Short and long term 
meteorological patterns, environmental conditions in Lake Okeechobee, 
Northern Estuaries, and WCAs, fish and wildlife species, and water 
supply needs and well fields. The areas of direct impact include Lake 
Okeechobee, Caloosahatchee River and Estuary, St. Lucie Estuary, the 
Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), and WCAs. Areas of indirect impact 
include the Lower East Coast Service Area (LECSA), ENP, and other areas 
south of Lake Okeechobee that may be impacted by changing freshwater 
releases from Lake Okeechobee. Expected impacts may include the 
following: Changing salinity levels in the Northern Estuaries (either 
positively or negatively depending on flows), changing water levels in 
the EAA and WCAs, potential increases or decreases in algal bloom risk 
in Lake Okeechobee and the Northern Estuaries, increases or decreases 
in water supply and available water for navigation and recreation, and 
potential impacts to seagrasses, oysters, and endangered and threatened 
species. Potential indirect impacts include increasing or decreasing 
freshwater flow amounts being sent to ENP, LECSA, and other areas south 
of Lake Okeechobee. Other potential impacts may be determined as the 
in-depth analysis of alternatives is conducted under NEPA.
    d. Anticipated permits/authorizations: All alternative plans will 
be reviewed under provisions of appropriate laws and regulations, 
including the Endangered Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries 
Conservation and Management Act, Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, 
Coastal Zone Management Act, and National Historic Preservation Act. 
The final array of alternative plans will consider operations that 
balance multiple project objectives and evaluate their effects on the 
human environment in the NEPA document. As an operational plan, it is 
not expected that permits under the Clean Water Act or Clean Air Act 
will be required.
    e. Scoping process and meetings: The planning process for LOSOM 
requires extensive coordination with the public and federal, tribal, 
state, and local resource management and regulatory agencies. An 
interagency project team was formed and is meeting regularly throughout 
the study, to provide opportunities for federal, tribal, state, and 
local agencies to comment on planning assumptions, evaluation tools and 
methods, and alternative plans. Initial public and agency comments 
received in response to a NEPA scoping letter dated January 29, 2019, 
were supportive of the project. Comments received from the NEPA scoping 
letter focused on the planning and NEPA process, Lake Okeechobee water 
levels and release volumes, operational considerations to be included 
in LOSOM, and links to other CERP projects and planning constraints. 
Concerns centered on potential impacts to water supply, flood 
protection, public health and safety, and water quality, including 
harmful algal blooms. Potential impacts to ecosystems, fish, and 
wildlife resources, and known and unknown cultural resources were also 
of concern. Scoping comments were accepted through April 21, 2019.
    f. Request for alternatives, information, and analyses: The LOSOM 
team is currently developing a balanced array of alternatives. These 
alternatives are expected to be modeled in early to mid-May 2021. The 
alternatives were presented to the Project Delivery Team (PDT) during 
the May 7, 2021 PDT meeting, where members of the public were invited 
to attend. More information on meeting times, dates, and topics can be 
found at https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/LOSOM/.

Jason E. Kelly,
Colonel(P), U.S. Army, Commanding.
[FR Doc. 2021-10761 Filed 5-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P