Analysis of Lake Okeechobee Water Levels & Discharges
Bottom Line: On Wednesday the Army Corps of Engineers announced something conservationists are leery of, enhanced discharges from Lake Okeechobee. This includes 37% of the discharged water being released to the east into the St. Lucie River and through the C-51 canal into the Lake Worth Lagoon. The Corps wants to bring water levels down before the start of the rainy season and hurricane season. Discharges into these estuaries in prior years have contributed to devastating environmental impacts including a loss of over 90% of seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon over the prior decade leading to a record setting manatee starvation crisis. While much of the emphasis on eastern discharges historically has centered on toxic algae when released during spring and summer months, any discharges of fresh water into the brackish waters of the estuaries is unnatural and potentially damaging. Recently there was good news related to Lake Okeechobee discharges as the first of three phases of the EAA Reservoir project was completed. The EAA Reservoir is designed to hold excess water from Lake ‘O, clean it and release it south into the Everglades which is the natural flow of water from the lake. However, while the Army Corp will begin to make use of the reservoir in coming months, it’s not preventing enhanced discharges from the lake right now.
Last summer the multi-decade Dike Rehabilitation project was completed. The dike restoration enabled water levels to be safely sustained at up to 20 feet in the lake, or about three feet higher than was previously possible. However, what’s been made clear by the Army Corps is that they have no intention of using that additional capacity. In announcing the enhanced discharges, the Army Corps noted that the water level is approximately two feet higher than usual for this time of the year. Here’s a look at Lake ‘O levels on the same date in recent years (February 14th):
- 2024: 16.4
- 2023: 15.8
- 2022: 14.8
- 2021: 12.9
- 2020: 12.9
- 2019: 12.8
Water levels are clearly higher than at any point over the previous five years at this time of the year. At the same time, this is the first year in which there’s been the ability to safely account for additional water in the lake. Without any near-term threat of exceeding the Dike’s threshold, and with the first phase of the EAA Reservoir coming online, it’s yet another a disappointing decision by the Army Corps of Engineers that appears unnecessary. The discharged water will damage estuaries which had only just recently shown signs of recovery following decades of harm caused by discharges.