he U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District has announced it will maintain water discharges from Lake Okeechobee at current rates.
The target flow for the Caloosahatchee Estuary remains 4,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) as measured at Moore Haven Lock (S-77) located in the southwest part of the lake. The target flow for the St. Lucie Estuary is 1,800 cfs as measured at St. Lucie Lock (S-80) near Stuart. Additional runoff from rain in the St. Lucie basin could occasionally result in flows that exceed targets.
“We’ve seen steady recession in the lake over the past few days,” said Jim Jeffords, Jacksonville District Operations Division Chief. “However, some precipitation has been forecasted in the week ahead, which could slow the recession. We’ll continue to monitor and adjust accordingly.”
Today, the lake stage is 15.58 feet, down a quarter foot over the past week and more than three quarters of a foot since it peaked at 16.40 feet on February 8.
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. 16-021