WASHINGTON, D.C – U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) has begun soliciting feedback from residents of the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulation schedule that determines when toxic discharges take place. For more information and to submit feedback, please visit: www.mast.house.gov/lors.

The Army Corps currently determines when to discharge water to the east and west of Lake Okeechobee using a document called the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS). Last year, Rep. Mast wrote a law forcing the Army Corps to rewrite the discharge schedule, with the goal of reducing the frequency and volume of discharges. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has now begun the process of rewriting this regulation and is currently soliciting public comments until March 31, 2019.

“This outdated and harmful regulation schedule is based on data from 2008 and causes serious damage to our community through frequent discharges of toxic water,” Rep. Mast said. “These discharges threaten our community’s health, environment and economy. It’s absolutely critical that our community uses this opportunity to show that we will no longer tolerate being used as the septic tank for the rest of Florida.

” In addition to submitting comments at www.mast.house.gov/lors, residents are strongly encouraged to submit their feedback directly to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in person, via mail or via e-mail. More information on how to submit public comments directly to the Army Corps can also be found at www.mast.house.gov/lors.

Additionally, Rep. Mast will be speaking at a community briefing on February 16, 2019 in Stuart, Fla. hosted by Bullsugar.org and Center for Biological Diversity about ways people can participate in the process. More information on the briefing can be found at www.facebook.com/events/614585412312819.

###