U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resumes water releases from Lake Okeechobee

Published Oct. 26, 2012

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Oct. 26, 2012) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District has resumed water releases from Lake Okeechobee, after a brief suspension of the discharges for Hurricane Sandy.

The target flow from the lake to the Caloosahatchee Estuary is 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) as measured at W.P. Franklin Lock (S-79) near Fort Myers.  The target flow for the St. Lucie Estuary is 1,170 cfs, as measured at the St. Lucie Lock and Dam (S-80) near Stuart.  Local runoff outside the lake into the Caloosahatchee River and the St. Lucie Canal may cause flows that exceed these targets. 

“The target flows are the same as they were before we suspended releases on Thursday,” said Lt. Col. Tom Greco, Jacksonville District deputy district commander for south Florida.  “We continue to receive a lot of water into the lake, and the discharges are important so we can continue to maintain storage capacity for the remaining five weeks of hurricane season.” 

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 15.81 feet, which is within the Low Operational Sub-Band, but also within 1 foot of the Intermediate Band of the 2008 LORS. 

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://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/WaterManagement.aspx


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

Release no. 12-080