JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (June 6, 2012) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District has begun another release of small amounts of water from Lake Okeechobee as part of an ongoing effort to reduce salt-water content in the Caloosahatchee Estuary.
The new water release began Tuesday, June 5. The target flow to the Caloosahatchee Estuary for this release is an average of 300 cubic feet per second (cfs) over a 10-day period, as measured at W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam (S-79) east of Fort Myers. The Corps is making the release in a pulse-like manner to mimic a rainfall event.
“Current evaluations indicate average salinity will continue to be high,” said John Kilpatrick, chief of Jacksonville District’s Multi-Projects Branch, which has oversight of water management at the lake. “With tributary hydrologic conditions near normal, factors outlined in the 2010 Adaptive Protocols allow the Corps to undertake this release in order to provide environmental benefits to the estuary.”
Today, the lake stage is 11.67 feet. The lake is currently within the Beneficial Use Sub-band of the 2008 Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (2008 LORS). The Corps and partner agencies will continue to closely monitor and assess system conditions, and may decrease releases if local basin runoff contributes to flows.
Release no. 12-046