BRIAN. MAST singe tone asec Congress of the Anited States Sr ‘nee House of Revresentatives ‘Wlashington, WE 20515-0918 February 14, 2024 Colonel James Booth Jacksonville District Commander US. Army Comps of Engineers 701 San Marco Boulevard Jacksonville, FL 32207-8175 Dear Colonel Booth, Lam frustrated by the continued mismanagement of Lake Okeechobee, which will now result in 1,800 cubic feet per second (ef) discharged from Lake Okeechobee through the $-80 into the St Lucie Estuary. My concer stems from the current management of the lake, which has kept Lake Okeechobee artificially high during dry periods to benefit the sugar industry at the expense of all other Floridians. During the last dry season, for example, Lake Okeechobee never got below 13 feet, and we are now going to pay the price for this mismanagement inthe form of dead seagrasses, killed off oysters, and major threats to public health, Without the foresight to see medium to long-term impacts of dry season management, the USACE has put all the surrounding ‘communities and the estuaries at severe risk. ‘The proposed discharges, 1,800 efs to St. Lucie Estuary and 4,000 cfs tothe Caloosahatchee, will collectively result in dropping Lake Okeechobee by .025 feet per day. At that ate, it will take 40 days to drop the lake by I” overall. However, with just nine days of discharges from Lake ‘Okeechobee would negatively affect sagrass that is home to dozens of native species and is the life lin food source for manatees. Discharges of 28 days would affect the overall biological health ofthe estuary, and continued discharges beyond that would affect fish spawning and recreational activities, Task for responses tothe following questions: ‘¢ What isthe overall desirable level of the Lake right now given the Lake is currently higher than 90-percent of historically observed levels for this time of year? ‘© Given releases ae scheduled to start Saturday, March 17°, what are the details ofthe long-term plan for lowering the Lake to the biological envelope parameters? ‘© The USACE has formally disputed the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) Biological Opinion; what isthe process going forward? © When will LOSOM be implemented?‘* How will the Corps change its management of Lake Okeechobee to prevent future discharges? | would appreciate a written response no later than February 16, 2024, Thank you for your ‘cooperation on this issue Brian Mast Member of Congress