Corps increases lake releases to Caloosahatchee River

Posted 12/2/22

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will increase lake releases to the Caloosahatchee River on Dec. 3

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Corps increases lake releases to Caloosahatchee River

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With Lake Okeechobee at 16.5 feet – 1 foot above the lake’s ecological envelope – the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will increase releases to the Caloosahatchee River on Dec. 3.

Freshwater releases to the Caloosahatchee will increase form 1,200 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 2,000 cfs. Flow will be measured at the Franklin Lock, which is more than 40 miles from the Julian Keen Jr. Lock at Moore Haven, where lake water enters the river. If there is local basin runoff into the river, less lake water will be released. If local basin runoff meets or exceeds the flow target, no lake water will be released.

No releases are planned to the St. Lucie River. No lake water has been released to the St. Lucie since April 2021.

The lake has been rapidly rising since Hurricane Ian dumped nearly 1 million acre feet of water north of the lake.

In a Dec. 2 media conference call, Col. James Booth, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District, said over the past week the lake has stabilized around 16.5 feet.

“This is the highest we have been at this time of the year in the past 14 years,” he said.

Flow into the lake is about 4,000 cfs, with most of that water coming from the Kissimmee River Basin. Booth explained the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes have stabilized at their winter levels, so there is little flow through the water control structure between Lake Kissimmee and the river. Most of the water is coming from basin runoff that flows directly into the river.

“With the recent rise of Lake Okeechobee, we need to increase releases,” Booth explained.

There is no capacity to send water south because the storm water treatment areas (STAs) and Water Conservation Areas (WCAs) are still full. Before water can be released to Everglades National Park, it must be cleaned so phosphorus levels do not exceed 10 parts per billion.

Booth said WCA-3A is still above schedule and releases under the Tamiami Trail are at the maximum schedule for this time of year at around 2,600 cfs.

At 2,000 cfs, flow to the Caloosahatchee River is still within the ecologically beneficial range for the estuary, and within the range recommended by the RECOVER (REstoration COordination & VERification) team.

“We have a limited window of time to set the stage for both the dry season and the next wet season,” said Booth. “It’s a delicate balancing act and timing is key.”

He said observations at the water control structures and water sampling indicate there are no concerns for harmful algal blooms (HABs) at this time, but they are concerned about the potential for HABs next year if they can’t get the lake level down.

The Herbert Hoover Dike is in good shape, Booth said. Since the lake hit 16 feet, USACE has been inspecting the southern portion of the dike – from Moore Haven to Belle Glade – every two weeks. When the lake level hit 16.5 feet, USACE increased dike inspections to weekly. The rest of the dike will be inspected every two weeks. The north end of the dike is at lower risk since the land elevations are higher north of Lake Okeechobee. (The City of Okeechobee is at 26 feet above sea level.)

“We inspected Herbert Hoover Dike thoroughly before and after Ian and Nicole and found no concerns,” said Booth.

He said the rehabilitation of the dike is between 98% and 99% complete. “The dike is in excellent condition,” he added.

In the past, such as after Hurricane Irma, “we’ve gone into high flow level to move that water out of the lake because flood prevention was the major concern,” he explained. “Three or four years ago, we would have flowed water out of the lake at higher levels because of flood management.”

RECOVER (REstoration COordination & VERification) is a multi-agency team of scientists, modelers, planners and resource specialists who organize and apply scientific and technical information in ways that are essential in supporting the objectives of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).

The RECOVER team conducts scientific and technical evaluations and assessments for improving  the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan's (CERP) ability to restore, preserve and protect the south Florida ecosystem while providing for the region's other water-related needs. RECOVER applies a system-wide perspective to the planning and implementation of the CERP and communicates and coordinates the results of these evaluations and assessments to managers, decision makers and the public.

Lake Okeechobee, releases, Franklin Lock, Caloosahatchee

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