The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District has further reduced the amount of water flowing from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River.
The Corps is adjusting the target flow from the lake to the Caloosahatchee Estuary down to 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 Corps suspended water releases from the lake to the St. Lucie Estuary last week, 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 15.48 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 conditions and adjust flows as necessary to balance the competing needs and purposes of Lake Okeechobee.
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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Release no. 12-088