This Week's Water Conditions Update

April 4, 2025

Water Conditions Tracker

Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts

On 4/2/25 Lake Okeechobee was at 12.56 feet, decreasing by 0.20 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 1,450 cfs (cubic feet per second) and flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 1,431 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-77 was 1,500 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 1,529 cfs and has been in the optimum flow envelope (750- 2,100 cfs; RECOVER 2020) for 22 days.

For more information on Lake Okeechobee and estuary conditions go to the latest Caloosahatchee Conditions Report.

SCCF Hosts Army Corps As Lake O Reductions Announced

On March 26, Col. Brandon Bowman, District Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District, and Maj. Cory Bell, Army Corps Deputy District Commander, South Florida, boarded SCCF’s R/V Norma Campbell to tour the estuary with SCCF staff, Sanibel Mayor Mike Miller, and other city and state water quality stakeholders.

Read More

Water Surface Temperature

This Week

Daily Average for April 2, 2025


Gulf of Mexico: 75.9°F

Caloosahatchee (Beautiful Island): 84.2°F

Lake Okeechobee (Polesout3s): 76.7°F

Last Week

Daily Average for March 26, 2025


Gulf of Mexico: 72.7°F

Caloosahatchee (Beautiful Island): 80.5°F

Lake Okeechobee (Polesout3s): 71.9°F


Weekly Rainfall Totals

WP Franklin (S-79): 0.15" Ortona (S-78): 1.22" Moore Haven (S-77): 0.85"

Virtual Water Quality Tour from Lighthouse Beach Park

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 3/31/25 at 1:50 PM on a slack tide (3.2 ft). The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 1,598 cfs.

Red Tide

On 3/28/25, the FWC reported that the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was detected at background concentrations in only one sample from Northwest Florida. In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed. 

Blue-Green Algae

On 3/31/25, sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported sparse specks of Microcystis and Aphanizomenon at the Davis Boat Ramp.

On 4/1/25, satellite imagery Lake Okeechobee showed the presence of an algal bloom but cloud cover/ winds prevented an area from being determined. The previous area of the bloom on 3/27/25 covered about 40 square miles, or 9% of the lake.

Become a Citizen Scientist and Get the Algae Reporting App Today!

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.

Resources To Follow:

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


Water Quality Dashboard


Water Quality FAQ

Find answers to some of our most commonly asked questions regarding water quality and more.


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

Click here to subscribe to the Weekly Water Conditions Tracker


Click here to subscribe to Connecting You to SCCF and other SCCF mailing lists.

LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
DONATE TO SCCF
Stay Connected!
Facebook  Instagram  Youtube