Lake Okeechobee: Fair
Indicators evaluated in Lake Okeechobee were fish, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), emergent aquatic vegetation (EAV), wading bird proportion (based on preydensity), wading bird interval between exceptional nesting years, chlorophyll a, water clarity, and lake stage. Lake stages were close to desired targets, except for several high-water events during the peak of the summer growing season. These untimely exceedances may explain the difference between lake stage scores and those for flora and fauna. EAV and SAV were poor to fair, likely affecting fish and wading bird indicators; though the wading bird interval indicator scored well. Water clarity scores were very poor and chlorophyll a scores were poor, likely affecting SAV and fish indicators.
