Corps reduces water releases from Lake Okeechobee

Published March 11, 2013

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District has reduced the amount of water flowing from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River.

The current 10-day target flow from the lake to the Caloosahatchee Estuary is an average of 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) as measured at W.P. Franklin Lock (S-79) near Fort Myers.  There are no target releases for the St. Lucie Estuary, although runoff from the St. Lucie Canal will continue to pass through the St. Lucie Lock as needed.

The release is being conducted in accordance with the 2008 Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS), the master plan for water management of the lake. Under the LORS, the Corps strives to keep the lake level between 12.5 and 15.5 feet.  Today, the lake stage is 14.10 feet.

The Corps will closely monitor the releases and adjust flows as necessary to balance the competing needs and purposes of Lake Okeechobee.  Public safety remains the Corps’ top priority. 

For more information on water level and flows data for Lake Okeechobee, visit the Corps’ water management page at the Jacksonville District website:

http://w3.saj.usace.army.mil/h2o/reports.htm

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Contact
John Campbell
904-232-1004
john.h.campbell@usace.army.mil

Release no. 13-014