The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District plans no changes to releases currently taking place at Lake Okeechobee.
The Corps plans to begin another seven-day pulse release from the lake tomorrow (March 12). The target flow for the Caloosahatchee during this period is unchanged at an average of 2,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) as measured at W.P. Franklin Lock & Dam (S-79) near Fort Myers. The target flow to the St. Lucie is also unchanged at 950 cubic feet per second (cfs) as measured at St. Lucie Lock & Dam (S-80) near Stuart. Flows at one or both locations could occasionally be exceeded by runoff from rain that accumulates in the Caloosahatchee or St. Lucie basins—those flows will be allowed to pass through structures as necessary.
Today, the lake stage is 14.66 feet. It is currently in the Operational Low Sub-Band as defined by the 2008 Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS). Under current conditions, LORS authorizes the Corps to discharge up to 3,000 cfs to the Caloosahatchee and up to 1,170 cfs to the St. Lucie.
The Corps will continue to monitor conditions and make adjustments as necessary.
For more information on water level and flows data for Lake Okeechobee, visit the Corps’ water management website at http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/WaterManagement.aspx.
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Release no. 15-032