This Week's Water Conditions Update
April 29, 2022
Water Conditions Tracker
Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts
On 4/27/22 Lake Okeechobee was at 13.01 feet, decreasing by 0.18 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 1,541 cfs (cubic feet per second) and flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 1540 cfs. The 14-day average flow was 1,566 cfs and has been in the optimal flow envelope for 156 days.
For more information on Lake Okeechobee and estuary conditions go to the latest Caloosahatchee Conditions Report
US Army Corps further reduces flow to 1,000 cfs at S-79
As of 4/30/21 flows to the Caloosahatchee from S-79, at the Franklin Lock and Dam, will be reduced to a 7-day average, pulse release of 1,000 cfs. Decreased flows near the end of the dry season, when fish and oyster spawning are beginning, help prevent the advection of larvae to less suitable downstream habitats. This represents a further gradual reduction from the level of 2,000 cfs that had been in place since November of 2021, the 1,800 targeted pulse release that was initiated on April 2, and the 1,500 cfs targeted pulse release that began on April 16.
Virtual Water Quality Tour from Lighthouse Beach
Click here or on the image above to take a virtual tour from above Lighthouse Beach Park to see how the water looked this week.

Photo was taken on 4/28/22 at 1:26 PM on a high tide (high tide @ 11:43 PM (2.47ft).
Red Tide
Satellite imagery over the past week has not detected any blooms off the coast of Southwest Florida.

On 4/15/22, the FWC reported that the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed at background concentrations in one Northwest Florida sample over the past week. In Southwest Florida, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in Manatee County and offshore of Monroe County

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) on Sanibel received 3 birds with toxicosis symptoms (from red tide or blue-green algae) from 4/19/22 - 4/25/22.
Blue-Green Algae
On 4/25/22 sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported moderately abundant cyano-filaments, Dolichospermum, and Microcystis, at the Alva Boat Ramp as visible streaks, and the Davis Boat Ramp and the Franklin Locks as visible streaks with accumulation.

Over the past week, satellite imagery from Lake Okeechobee showed bloom potential on approximately 120 square miles along North and western shoreline.
Resources To Follow:
To learn more about our current water conditions, click on the following links:

A collaborative, weekly analysis, including recommendations for water managers regarding Lake Okeechobee flows.

SCCF's River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network is a network of eight optical water quality sensors deployed throughout the Caloosahatchee and the Pine Island Sound estuary to provide real-time water quality data.



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