The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District will reduce the amount of water currently flowing from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River.
Beginning Wednesday (Apr. 9), the new target flow from the lake to the Caloosahatchee is a 10-day average of 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) as measured at W.P. Franklin Lock (S-79) near Fort Myers. Local runoff outside the lake into the Caloosahatchee River could cause flows to exceed this target. The target flow for the St. Lucie Lock and Dam (S-80) is unchanged at 0 cfs, although local basin runoff from the St. Lucie Canal will continue to be allowed to pass through the St. Lucie Lock as necessary.
“The lake level dropped into the Base Flow Sub-Band of the 2008 LORS (Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule) over the weekend,” said Jorge Tous, chief of the Water Management Section for Jacksonville District. “The change in flows mirrors the 2008 LORS guidance for the lake level at this point in the dry season.”
Today, the lake stage is 13.45 feet and has been on a slow downward trend over the past month. The Corps will closely monitor conditions and adjust flows as necessary to balance the competing needs and purposes of Lake Okeechobee.
For more information on water level and flow 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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Release no. 14-018