This Week's Water Conditions Update

October 24, 2025

Water Conditions Tracker

Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts

On 10/22/25 Lake Okeechobee was at 13.93 feet, increasing by 0.08 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 585 cfs (cubic feet per second) while flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 4 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-77 was 0 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 1,020 cfs and has been in the optimum flow envelope (750- 2,100 cfs; RECOVER 2020) for 13 days.

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

NPCA Offering Student Scholarships to Attend 2026 Everglades Coalition Conference

Each year, the Everglades Coalition Conference is held to engage a diverse audience of stakeholders with the protection and restoration of the greater Everglades. This annual event serves as a hub for those dedicated to the Everglades’ incredible ecosystems, as well as those who are interested in becoming more engaged.

Water Surface Temperature

This Week

Daily Average for October 22, 2025


Gulf of Mexico: 79.9°F

Caloosahatchee (Beautiful Island): 85.8°F

Lake Okeechobee: 79.3°F

Last Week

Daily Average for October 15, 2025


Gulf of Mexico: 81.7°F

Caloosahatchee (Beautiful Island): 83.4°F

Lake Okeechobee: 79.9°F


Weekly Rainfall Totals

WP Franklin (S-79): 0.00" Ortona (S-78): 1.25" Julian Keen Jr. (S-77): 1.05"

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 10/20/25 at 3:14 PM on a falling tide (2.2 ft). The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 1,059 cfs.

Red Tide

On 10/17/25, the FWC reported that the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed in eight samples collected along Florida's Coasts over the past week. In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample from Lee County. In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Bay County and low to high concentrations in six samples collected from Gulf County.


Wildlife Impacts

In the past week, the CROW wildlife hospital on Sanibel admitted 4 patients for suspected red tide/toxicosis: 1 adult limpkin (deceased), 1 adult osprey (deceased), 1 adult little blue heron (deceased) and 1 juvenile Muscovy duck (deceased).

Blue-Green Algae

On 10/20/25, sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported no visible cyanobacteria across all sites.

On 10/22/25 satellite imagery of Lake Okeechobee showed the presence of an algal bloom covering about 160 square miles, or 34% of the lake. This is an decrease in area from the measurement on 10/21/25, which covered about 200 square miles, or 43% 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

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