U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, contractors work to complete construction on culvert C-12A near Pahokee, Fla., on Lake Okeechobee as part of Herbert Hoover Dike rehabilitation. Residents living south of the dike are protected by the 143-mile long earthen dam. Rehabilitation of the 80-year-old structure includes the replacement of 28 culverts with modern construction materials and techniques. Photo: Jim Yocum
Lake Okeechobee
Regulation Schedule changes lead to positive outcome for Floridians Jim Yocum Lake Okeechobee is more than just the second largest lake entirely inside the United States. It’s the heart of a vast and immensely complex water system that makes it possible for Florida to support millions of residents in South Florida. It also sustains billions of dollars in agriculture, recreational fishing that brings tourists from around the world, and the water that is the lifeblood of some of the most diverse and vital ecosystems in the world. The lake is the central hub for the whole system, and it relies on a 143-mile long earthen dam completed in 1937 and named after our 31st president – the Herbert Hoover Dike. Since 2008, the district has managed water on the
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lake using the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS), a document that seeks to meet the Congressional purposes of the lake to support flood control, water supply, navigation, recreation, and preservation of fish and wildlife resources. Because of the age and construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike, the Corps is limited in how much water the lake can hold. With hurricanes, tropical storms, or even just higher than normal rains, the lake can rise quickly enough to put the dike and all those who live south of the lake at risk, so LORS provides the district with a tool to help make decisions. In 2016 and 2018, the district water managers were faced with little choice when high water levels
