Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project

Part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project (LOWRP) is a planning effort being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). The project area covers a large portion of the Lake Okeechobee Watershed north of the lake.

Project Objectives

Increasing water storage capacity in the watershed, resulting in improved Lake Okeechobee water levels
Improving the quantity and timing of discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries
Restoring wetlands
Improving water supply for existing legal users

Revised Recommended Plan

Concerns related to acceptability and cost of the Plan, received during state, agency, and tribal review of the Draft Report of the Chief of Engineers, resulted in direction to refine the Recommended Plan by removing the aboveground storage component (wetland attenuation feature) and its 25 assisted ASR wells. The LOWRP Revised Recommended Plan (Alternative ASR) consists of the following components:

Underground Storage - 55 Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) wells located in clusters throughout the watershed
Wetland Restoration of approximately 5,900 acres
- Paradise Run ~ 4,700 acres
- Kissimmee River-Center ~ 1,200 acres

Recommended Plan Benefits

Increases the amount of time Lake Okeechobee is within the ecologically preferred stage envelope
Reduces flows to the Caloosahatchee Estuary and St. Lucie Estuary by an additional 21%
Reduces water supply cutback volume to the Lake Okeechobee Service Area by 35%
Restores approximately 5,900 acres of wetlands along portions of the historic Kissimmee River floodplain
Provides public recreational features in the wetland sites

LOWRP Planning Timeline

Project scoping began – July 2016
Draft Integrated Project Implementation Report and Environmental Impact Statement (PIR/EIS) released – July 2018
Revised Draft PIR/EIS released – July 2019
Final Integrated PIR/EIS released – August 2020
Draft Revised Integrated PIR/EIS released – February 2022
Final Revised Integrated PIR/EIS – June 2022
Chief’s Report –Targeting WRDA 2022

The latest update to the LOWRP PIR/EIS is available on USACE website.

LOWRP Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Well Program

The Florida Legislature appropriated a total of $150 million for the LOWRP during the previous three legislative sessions. During the 2021 legislative session, the Florida Legislature also passed Senate Bill 2516 to further support and expedite the implementation of LOWRP. This funding was provided to the SFWMD for the design, engineering and construction of specific LOWRP components designed to achieve the greatest reduction in harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Estuaries. The SFWMD and USACE determined the ASR well component would provide the greatest benefits to the estuaries.

As the SFWMD moves forward in a phased approach for the design and construction of ASR wells, there are remaining scientific uncertainties and stakeholder concerns regarding regional implementation of the technology. To address these uncertainties and concerns, SFWMD formed an ASR Peer Review Panel of expert Florida scientists to review the ASR Well program and 2021 ASR Science Plan, and provide recommendations on its regional implementation in south Florida. Learn more about the ASR Well Program and the 2021 ASR Science Plan.

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