September 1, 2023

On 8/31/23 Lake Okeechobee was at 15.38 feet, increasing by 0.03 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 896 cfs (cubic feet per second) and flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 0 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 1,363 cfs and has been in the optimum flow envelope (750 - 2,100 cfs) for 9 days after being above the optimum flow envelope for 82 days.

Water Surface Temperature

Red Tide

On 8/18/23, the FWC reported that over the past week the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was not observed in samples collected statewide over the past week. 

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) received 7 birds with toxicosis symptoms (from red tide or blue-green algae) from 8/22/23 - 8/28/23. SCCF responded to 1 report of a dead sea turtle on Sanibel.

Blue-Green Algae

On 8/28/23 sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported no visible cyanobacteria at any of its 6 tested locations.

On 8/28/23, satellite imagery from Lake Okeechobee showed the presence of an algal bloom on 40 square miles (8%) of the Lake.

Blue-green algae sampling results for the last 14-days for the 10 county area (Lee, Collier, Hendry, Glades, Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe). Data from FDEP Blue-green algae dashboard

Of the 64 samples collected, cyanobacteria was dominant in 42 samples, 26 samples had toxins present ranging from 0.27 to 22 μg per L (does not include non-detects) which is above the EPA recommended standard for recreational waters (8 µg per L). 

*Data are provisional and subject to change.

SCCF wants to know when and where all types of algae sightings occur to monitor conditions around the islands and to investigate algae bloom occurrence with patterns in seasonal weather changes and Lake Okeechobee water management practices.

Click on and bookmark this link to report an algal bloom sighting.

To learn more about our current water conditions, click on the following links:

Water Conditions Update Archive

Caloosahatchee Conditions Report

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

RECON

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.

Caloosahatchee River Virtual Tour



Red Tide Resources

NOAA HAB Monitoring System - Lake Okeechobee

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