USACE W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Jacksonville District reported that it would resume minimal flows on April 6 west at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) out of the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam (S-79) to provide low flows to estuaries and mitigate stagnant conditions in the canals along the Caloosahatchee River.

The Corps added that conditions in the Caloosahatchee basin have become much drier than they had been in previous weeks, leading to zero flows and stagnation in the river.

In acknowledgement of the South Florida Water Management District’s request, Jacksonville District Commander Col. James Booth conferred with stakeholders on the west coast to discuss the change in river conditions. After soliciting feedback, the Corps will continue its two-week effort to allow downstream estuaries to recover, while simultaneously mitigating stagnant canal conditions in the Caloosahatchee and maintaining zero flows to the St. Lucie.

The Corps continued that it would resume its dry season strategy to lower Lake Okeechobee prior to the wet season. It began targeting a seven-day average pulse release schedule of 2,000 cfs at the S-79 on April 13 and will continue those releases through the dry season, baring any significant changes in conditions. It will also continue zero releases to the east at St. Lucie Lock and Dam (S-80).