‘Lake O’ water releases to be reduced starting Friday

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The amount of water being released from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers will be reduced starting Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday.

The new target flow for the Caloosahatchee Estuary is 4,000 cubic feet per second from the Moore Haven Lock, and 1,800 cubic feet per second from the St. Lucie Lock into the St. Lucie Estuary. The flows were previously at their peak of 6,500 and 2,800 cubic feet per second, respectively, the Corps said.

It is currently unknown when residents will notice changes in water quality, said Jim Jeffords, the Corps’ Jacksonville district operations division chief.

“This is the first step in it and it’s going to take time,” said Jeffords, who added that such also depends on other environmental factors, including the amount of rain in water basins.

Thursday’s lake stage is 15.83 feet, down from 16.06 last week and its peak of 16.40 feet on Feb. 8, the Corps said. The ideal stage is between 12.5 and 15.5 feet, officials said.

“Lake levels have been falling as a result of water releases, decreased inflows, and drier conditions,” Jeffords said. “Although the lake is still uncomfortably high for this time of year, our water control plan calls for lower flows based on current conditions. If the lake starts rising again, we may have to increase flows; it all depends on the weather.”

While there will be “virtually no rain” for the next few days, Jeffords said there is still concern due to expected above average wet conditions for the next few months.

“We’ve been lucky so far this year in the amount of rain we’ve had,” he said, citing other parts of the country receiving more rain due to El Nino conditions.

Rainfall in December, January and February resulted in record water levels at the lake, forcing the Corps to release maximum levels of brown, murky water into the aforementioned rivers. The water has made for an eyesore on Gulf beaches, which residents, local officials and environmentalists say has negatively impacted the area’s economy and ecology.

The water releases have led local elected officials to take a number of actions, including two groups of mayors from Lee County and cities south of Lake Okeechobee to travel to Washington D.C. to speak with federal officials about the water releases.

Gov. Rick Scott, after declaring a state of emergency for Lee, Martin and St. Lucie counties, announced the opening of a business emergency operations center to access the releases’ impact on area businesses.

Scott and Rep. Curt Clawson (R-FL) called on the federal government to set aside $800 million for repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike, which holds the water from Lake Okeechobee, and for all repairs to be completed by 2020.

Corps officials said Thursday they will reserve comment on whether the timeline is realistic until legislation is passed.