South Florida - Wednesday February 28, 2024: The U.S. Army Corps of engineers began releasing large volumes of water into the Chattahoochee and St. Lucie estuaries on Saturday February 17th in order to lower the level of Lake Okeechobee which had reached a height of 16.37 feet as of Tuesday February 13th.
The South Florida Water Management District, in their Weekly Environmental Conditions Report advises the following:
Lake Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee stage was 16.24 feet NGVD on February 25, 2024, which was 0.08 feet lower than the previous week and 0.02 feet lower than a month ago. Average daily
inflows (excluding rainfall) increased from the previous week, going from 3,510 cfs to 4,570 cfs. Average daily outflows (excluding evapotranspiration) increased considerably
from the previous week, going from 3,960 cfs to 9,090 cfs. The February 25, 2024, satellite image from NOAA’s Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring System suggested a moderate bloom potential along most shallow shorelines within the Lake.
Estuaries
Total inflow to the St. Lucie Estuary averaged 3,200 cfs over the past week with 2,240 coming from Lake Okeechobee. Mean salinities decreased at all three sites within the
estuary over the past week. Salinity in the middle estuary was in the lower stressed range (5-10) for adult eastern oysters.
Total inflow to the Caloosahatchee Estuary averaged 7,040 cfs over the past week with 5,000 cfs coming from Lake Okeechobee. Mean surface salinities remained the same at
S-79 and Val I-75 and decreased at the remaining sites in the estuary over the past week. Salinities were in the optimal range (0-10) for tape grass in the upper estuary. Salinities were in the damaging range (0-5) for adult eastern oysters at Cape Coral, in the optimal range (10-25) at Shell Point, and in the upper stressed range (> 25) at Sanibel.