More water from Lake O
On Sunday, July 11, the Army Corps of Engineers began another 10 day period of increased water releases from Lake Okeechobee. This follows a period of reduced volume releases from July 1-11.
The Army Corps of Engineers is charged with managing the level of Lake O, protecting life and property as their top priority. The concern over high lake levels is due to the aging and instability of the Hoover Dike, which was built to protect the area surrounding the lake from flooding. Thousands in the Lake O area died in hurricane flooding during the 1920’s, which triggered the initial building of the Dike. It has been expanded several times since then. The aging of the dike has led the Army Corps to attempt to keep the lake level between 12.5 and 15.5 feet. On July 14, the Lake O level was 14.41 feet.
Lake O, the largest fresh water lake in Florida, has several rivers and canals flowing into it, including the Kissimmee River, Taylor and Fisheating Creeks and the Indian Prairie Canal. Water level in the lake can rise 6 times faster than water can be discharged from the lake. A foot of rainfall in the watershed north of the lake, can produce a four foot rise in the lake’s level. Which explains the Army Corps concern about the stability of the dike around the lake with high water levels, particularly during the rainy season.
When the lake level rises, or when the rainy season approaches, the Army Corps will open the gates and release Lake O water into the Caloosahatchee River and St. Lucie Canal. About 70% of the water releases from Lake O flow west into the Caloosahatchee River through the Moore Haven lock on the lake’s western shore. The St. Lucie Canal receives 30% of the water released.
However, that “fresh” water that is being released from the lake, is not so fresh. The agricultural land north of the lake contributes to the “high nutrient” water flowing out of the lake. “High nutrient”-sounds like a good thing, doesn’t it? Like cereal with extra vitamins. Except in this case, those nutrients are phosphorous and nitrogen. Both are used agriculturally and are carried into the lake by runoff from fields. Adding to the problem is a buildup of phosphorus in the soft mud at the bottom of Lake O. If the lake bottom is stirred up, the phosphorus is remixed with the water, raising the phosphorus level further. These nutrients are known to cause some major problems downstream, particularly encouraging the growth of Blue Green Algae.
When water is released from Lake Okeechobee, that nutrient and sediment laden water can be seen well into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The releases are blamed for increasing algae blooms, low dissolved oxygen levels, fish lesions and other damage to the delicate estuarine system. Beach residents have vivid and unpleasant memories of how bad the water in our area was in 2004-2005.
The Army Corps now follows the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS) which reduced the frequency of high volume releases and introduced pulsed releases, which are meant to mimic natural rainfall events. However, there remains a large amount of water and limited places to put it, one of which is our Caloosahatchee Estuary. And anyone who lives in the estuary environment knows that this “fresh” water with the extra nutrients it carries, is not good for the plant and animal life in the estuary. They’ve seen what it can do and do not want to witness a repeat of that kind of destruction of the estuary.
Anyone wishing to track the Lake O releases can do so here: http://bit.ly/ctuyDq
This is the Moore Haven lock information. The Moore Haven lock is directly west of Lake O and measures only Lake O water flow into the Caloosahatchee River. Franklin lock information can be found here: http://bit.ly/dj0PiQ
Keep in mind that the Franklin lock includes Lake O releases plus run off from the Caloosahatchee watershed.
Competing concerns include safety of the dike around Lake O, sports fishing and recreational use of the Lake, nutrient pollution of the estuaries, lack of water flowing into the Everglades, and the need for water storage and treatment areas.
Water storage capacity and the restoration of the natural water flow south from Lake O into the Everglades are high priorities of several groups concerned with the environmental effects of the current water management system. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is a key player in this effort as it oversees the water resources in the southern half of Florida and is tasked with sorting out the interests and priorities of all parties involved with Lake O releases as well as Everglades restoration. The SFWMD Board is currently considering the U.S. Sugar Land Purchase as part of Everglades Restoration and a possible solution to the high releases into the rivers.
It’s all about water, too much or not enough of it, clean or dirty. The Army Corps have their priorities, so do all the competing interests. The trick is to find a solution that addresses the problems created by the “solution” dike built back in the 30’s to solve another problem. For now, Beach residents watch the water flow carefully and wait to see what color the water is flowing out of the Caloosahatchee.
Missy Layfield
