The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [USACE] announced Friday that they are going to reduce Lake Okeechobee releases to the Caloosahatchee River starting on Saturday.
They will be reducing the releases to 1,500 cubic feet per second [cfs]. The reduction comes as dry season intensifies — if the lake evaporates too much, lower water levels can impact various wildlife, USACE reported.
Current releases have been at 2,000 cfs since Feb. 12 as part of a planned effort to reduce the risk of harmful algal blooms developing. Since then, 67,000 acre feet of additional water from the lake has been released.
On Friday, the lake stage was at 14.67 feet. The lake has fallen 0.74 feet in the past 30 days, but is still 2.55 feet higher than it was one year ago and 2.53 feet higher than it was two years ago.
“We are managing the recession rate in accordance with the harmful algal bloom deviation. A recession rate higher than one-half foot per month negatively impacts nesting bird populations, which have seen a great rebound this year. In particular, we have seen snail kites nesting after several years absence,” said Col. Andrew Kelly, Jacksonville District commander.
Releases are evaluated regularly and could happen more often as a result of more rainfall.
No changes to the current 500 cfs flow out of the St. Lucie Lock and Dam that began on March 6.
The Link LonkMarch 26, 2021 at 08:16PM
https://abc-7.com/news/environment/2021/03/26/lake-okeechobee-releases-to-be-reduced-as-florida-moves-further-into-dry-season/
Lake Okeechobee releases to be reduced as Florida moves further into dry season - ABC7 News
https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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