The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District plans to continue water releases from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Estuaries.
No changes have been made to the latest 10-day schedule of releases developed by the Corps. The average target flow for the Caloosahatchee over the 10-day period is 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) as measured at W.P. Franklin Lock (S-79) near Fort Myers. The target flow for the St. Lucie is 250 cfs, as measured at the St. Lucie Lock near Stuart. The target flows will include lake water and runoff.
The release is being conducted in accordance with the 2008 Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS), the master plan for water management of the lake. Today, the lake stage is 13.55 feet, which is within the Low Operational Sub-Band. The releases were scheduled to begin today, but are on hold due to runoff from heavy rains that have fallen in the area over the past few days. No water from the lake has been released to the St. Lucie Canal since May 21. Releases to the Caloosahatchee were also suspended yesterday (June 6). As runoff subsides, lake water will gradually be released until target flows are achieved.
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/currentLL.shtml
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Release no. 13-033