Army Corps adjusts Lake Okeechobee releases
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Jacksonville District reported that it would reduce Lake Okeechobee releases at the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam (S-79) from the current weekly average of 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 1,000 cfs beginning on May 29.
As of May 28, the St. Lucie Lock and Dam (S-80) remained closed and the Army Corps continued to manage the C-44 canal levels at the Port Mayaca Lock and Dam (S-308). As long as the lake remains below 14 feet, excess canal water can flow into the lake rather than through the S-80, although locally heavy rainfall may still require S-80 to open.
On May 28, the lake was at 12.91 feet, which was 0.34 feet lower than the prior week and 1.16 feet lower than 30 days ago. While the lake was still 1.55 feet higher than last year on the same date, it was 0.23 feet lower than the period of record average lake level for the date.
“May is a transitional month that can vary from very wet to very dry as we move into the rainy season,” Jacksonville District Commander Col. Andrew Kelly said. “After the very wet start of the dry season in October and November last year, we were fortunate that the weather in May turned out to be significantly drier than normal and allowed the lake to recede so much. This is great news for the estuaries because it reduces the risk of prolonged, high-volume releases from the lake this rainy season.”
The Army Corps will continue to release water at beneficial levels to the Caloosahatchee in a pulse pattern after feedback from stakeholders on the west coast reported some improvement in algae conditions along the estuary after two weeks of similar pulse releases. The use of pulse releases instead of a steady flow is intended to allow tidal flushing which into the upper estuary and help combat the formation of algae in the estuary.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s recent testing showed significant improvement in toxin concentration within the lake over the past few weeks. There were still some areas above the EPA’s 8 parts per billion level recommendation for recreation, but none of the very high level sample results from several weeks ago.
The Army Corps will continue to post warning signs at its structures and facilities as directed by county health departments and will continue to closely coordinate with its partners at the FDEP as they monitor algal blooms in Florida waters.