Agencies report surge in Lake Okeechobee vegetation after coordinated management and reservoir progress

Florida state and federal officials told the Florida Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on May 21, 2025, that coordinated habitat management, new wetland treatment systems and reservoir projects have coincided with a rapid increase in submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) on Lake Okeechobee and other early signs of ecological recovery.

The report came during three linked presentations to the committee: George Wharton, chief conservation officer at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), summarized habitat and invasive‑plant work; Drew Bartlett, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), described monitoring, nutrient‑reduction projects and storage plans; and Colonel Brandon Bowman, district commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, reviewed operational changes under the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) and the Corps’ decision to execute a lake‑recovery sequence late last year.

Why it matters: Lake Okeechobee supplies drinking water, irrigation and flood control for much of south Florida, supports major recreational fisheries and hunting, and affects estuaries that are economically and ecologically important. The agencies’ presentations tied recent management changes to measurable environmental signals — and to work still needed on engineered projects that affect how water is stored and moved.

FWC: habitat actions and plant targets George Wharton, chief conservation officer at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told the committee that FWC’s 2022 Lake Okeechobee Fish and Wildlife Habitat Management Plan guides restoration and that staff have worked with more than 2,000 stakeholders to set goals and actions. Wharton said the plan sets numeric targets including holding torpedo grass to less than 5,000 acres and limiting nonnative floating plants to under 500 acres.

Wharton described a mix of tools used to improve habitat: mechanical harvesting and shredding; physical methods such as drawdowns and prescribed fire; biological controls (specialist insects); and selective chemical herbicide treatments where needed. He said native plants are critical to food webs and that proactive measures — including prescribed burns and replantings — helped this year’s recovery.

SFWMD: monitoring, treatment systems and storage Drew Bartlett, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, said the district maintains a daily ecological and water‑quality monitoring network for Lake Okeechobee and its watershed. Bartlett described a portfolio of actions: wetland treatment systems to remove phosphorus in targeted subwatersheds; public‑private partnerships that store water on private lands and treat runoff; above‑ground reservoirs; and aquifer storage and recovery wells.

Bartlett said the state and federal partnership, plus a recent agreement with the Department of the Army and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, accelerated construction timetables for major projects. He confirmed the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) reservoir is now scheduled for completion in 2029 — five years earlier than an earlier schedule — and described the reservoir’s operational scale: the EAA reservoir itself holds about 240,000 acre‑feet and South Florida planners estimate it could move roughly 360,000 acre‑feet of water in an average year (an amount the district described as equivalent to roughly a half‑foot change across Lake Okeechobee’s surface).

Bartlett also reported a range of treatment and storage milestones: the district added about 6,000 acres of wetland treatment systems to reach roughly 60,000 acres of treatment capacity, and recent reservoirs such as the C‑43 and C‑44 are already being used to reduce harmful discharges to estuaries. He said 98% of the Everglades monitoring sites now meet water quality standards and that ongoing Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) work and agricultural best management practices show measurable phosphorus reductions in many subbasins.

Army Corps: LOSOM, lake recovery and observed effects Colonel Brandon Bowman of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the Corps used LOSOM modeling to balance multiple congressionally authorized project purposes — navigation, flood control, water supply, and ecosystem restoration among them — and that, recognizing impacts on lake ecology under LOSOM, he authorized a lake‑recovery operation for the 2024–25 dry season.

Bowman described the lake‑recovery goals and metrics: achieving below 12 feet mean lake stage for 90 days or below 11.5 feet for 60 days (days need not be consecutive). He said the Corps recorded 101 days below 12 feet and 78 days below 11.5 feet this cycle. “The main intent of lake recovery is to bring the lake below 12 feet,” Bowman said, and added that low water levels enabled plantings, prescribed burns and other habitat work.

Agency data presented to the committee show substantial changes in vegetation: FWC and the Corps reported SAV increasing from about 4,000 acres in 2024 to roughly 28,000 acres in 2025, exceeding the lake management plan target of more than 20,000 acres of SAV. The Corps also reported a nearly fourfold increase in documented occurrences of the endangered Okeechobee gourd this season (from about 25 to more than 120 documented plants).

Tradeoffs and remaining challenges All three presenters stressed tradeoffs. Bowman and Bartlett said lake recovery and lowered lake stages improved SAV and some estuarine conditions, but caused navigation constraints and other short‑term effects: the Corps reported about 158 days during which some areas fell below a notional 12.5‑foot navigable threshold, prompting advisory notices and reports of some boats becoming grounded. Bowman also said surveys showed reduced snail kite and some wading‑bird activity during the drawdown, with the expectation that expanded SAV will support recovery in subsequent seasons.

The C‑44 reservoir, which Bartlett and Bowman discussed, remains at about two‑thirds capacity because of a sloughing and seepage problem at the site. Bowman said the Corps has drilled pilot holes, is designing relief wells and plans a construction contract by 2027 with repairs completed by about 2030; he said the Corps will shoulder the majority of the repair costs but did not provide a final total.

Nutrient pollution and algae response On nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms, Bartlett said blue‑green algae and other blooms are driven by nutrient loads and that the district uses an "algae response team" in partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to treat blooms near public access points. He described treatment that uses hydrogen peroxide (an H2O2‑based approach) to break down blooms where people would be exposed.

Funding and program numbers presented to the committee included an integrated total of about $9 billion invested collectively in restoration strategies and projects (federal and state contributions roughly split 50/50), state appropriations and programs such as a $25 million FDACS ag‑project fund with $5 million targeted to Lake Okeechobee projects, and widespread BMAP enrollment (one presenter cited about 92% of Lake Okeechobee watershed acreage enrolled in relevant BMPs).

Next steps and oversight Speakers told the committee they will continue monitoring, follow the EAA reservoir schedule, expand wetland treatment systems and conduct an after‑action review of the Corps’ first formal lake‑recovery operation. Bowman said the Corps will produce an initial after‑action product by March and follow up with additional analysis after the next dry season. Bartlett and Wharton described continuing cooperative work among agencies and local stakeholders.

Quoted from the record: - "Lake Okeechobee is a valuable resource and it's a multiple use resource," said George Wharton, chief conservation officer, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. - "It is as big as any county in the state of Florida," said Drew Bartlett, executive director, South Florida Water Management District, describing the lake’s scale and management responsibilities. - "The main intent of lake recovery is to bring the lake below 12 feet," said Colonel Brandon Bowman, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District.

The committee did not take formal votes at the meeting. Presenters asked for continued legislative support for accelerated construction and for ongoing monitoring and maintenance funding. The Corps, FWC and SFWMD told senators they will return with more detailed performance and cost information, including additional reporting on C‑44 repairs and on the post‑recovery ecological assessment.