Corps to reduce flows from Lake Okeechobee

Published Oct. 7, 2013

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District has announced a reduction in the water discharges from Lake Okeechobee starting tomorrow.

With lake levels falling, the Corps has reached a point in its water management plan, the 2008 Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS), where flows to the Caloosahatchee are calculated at W.P. Franklin Lock (S-79) east of Fort Myers.  The new target flow to the Caloosahatchee from Franklin will be 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). The new target flow for the St. Lucie Estuary will be 1,170 cfs as measured at the St. Lucie Lock & Dam (S-80) near Stuart.  The new target flows are effective at 7 a.m. on Tuesday.  

The current lake level is 15.76 feet.  Under LORS, water management operations are structured to keep the lake at a seasonally-adjusted level between 12.5 and 15.5 feet.  The Corps will closely monitor conditions and adjust flows as necessary. 

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

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

Release no. 13-081