Lake Okeechobee Large Water Releases Begin December 7

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) -Jacksonville District will begin releases under Lake Okeechobee Recovery Operations December 7.

For the past five years, Lake Okeechobee has experienced several storm events and extended moderately high lake stages. This has led to degraded ecological conditions within the lake, including significant loss of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), high turbidity and nutrient concentrations, and negative changes in emergent vegetation.

There are six considerations for implementing Recovery Operations – lake stage not receding below 13 feet in summer, SAV coverage significantly below 11,000 acres, no strong El Nino, nor strong La Niña forecasted for the dry season, lake stage not receding below 11 feet NGVD in the last five years, ecological and Snail Kite conditions, and no water supply concerns. Each of these six of the considerations have been met, and current projections show that conditions this dry season are favorable for success.

The goal of recovery is to lower lake levels before the onset of the wet season to allow for recovery of lake ecology, specifically SAV. The operational strategy for these operations intends to slowly bring water levels down by making moderate, non-harmful releases to the estuaries while also sending maximum beneficial flow south to the Everglades. Lowering water levels will allow light to penetrate to the bottom and allow SAV to regerminate and regrow during the April-July period. Regrowth of SAV in Lake Okeechobee will reduce water turbidity and nutrient concentrations. Improved water quality within the lake benefits the estuaries if significant releases are necessary in the coming seasons/years.

Consistent with the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM), the maximum allowable releases under Recovery Operations are:

a. up to 2,100 cfs at S-79 to the Caloosahatchee River Estuary (CRE)
b. up to 1,400 cfs total St. Lucie Estuary (SLE) inflows (S-80 + S-97 + S-49 + Gordy Road)
c. up to 300 cfs to the Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL) at S-271 and S-352
d. up to maximum practicable south at S-351 and S-354

Releases will be made in the most beneficial way possible. USACE will continue to collaborate with South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and other partners to evaluate flow and salinity to inform estuary releases on a weekly basis. Depending on conditions, releases will either be made as a pulse, or a constant flow targeted at S-80 and S-79. The releases allowed under Recovery Operations are within the RECOVER optimal flow envelope for the estuaries and will not impact oyster spawn, sea grass, spawning, or other ecological activities.

“We remain committed to communication, collaboration, and transparency with our partners, stakeholders, and the public throughout this process,” said Col. Brandon Bowman, Jacksonville District commander.

Flow south from the lake has started to increase significantly, as water supply demand has picked up early in this dry season. Flow south to the Everglades will occur based upon capacity of the state’s Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA’s) and the capacity of the Water Conservation Areas (WCA’s) to the south. The capacity of those will generally increase as we move through the dry season.

Exactly when and how much to release within limits will be based on the considerations including, but not limited to, coordination with stakeholders and partner agencies, current and historical lake levels, recession rates, climate outlooks, El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forecasts, precipitation forecasts, drought conditions, water-supply conditions, and nesting activities and ecological conditions in the lake, Northern Estuaries, and the Greater Everglades. USACE is constantly monitoring the entire system, and the recovery releases and strategy can be discontinued at any time throughout the dry season if warranted.