This Week's Water Conditions Update

December 12, 2025

Water Conditions Tracker

Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts

On 12/10/25 Lake Okeechobee was at 13.62 feet, decreasing by 0.05 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 504 cfs (cubic feet per second) while flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 417 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-77 was 306 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 397 cfs and has been below the optimum flow envelope (<750 cfs; RECOVER 2020) for 46 days.

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

Water Surface Temperature

This Week

Daily Average for December 10, 2025


Gulf of Mexico: 73.6°F

Caloosahatchee (Beautiful Island): 77.0°F

Lake Okeechobee: 72.9°F

Last Week

Daily Average for December 3, 2025


Gulf of Mexico: 71.8°F

Caloosahatchee (Beautiful Island): 79.5°F

Lake Okeechobee: 70.2°F


Take Action Now: Oppose New Federal Drilling Plan

Last week, the Federal Administration's Department of the Interior released the "Unleashing American Offshore Energy" plan that would open Florida’s waters to oil and gas drilling closer to Florida’s coasts than ever before.

Weekly Rainfall Totals

WP Franklin (S-79): 1.00" Ortona (S-78): 0.39" Julian Keen Jr. (S-77): 0.21"

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 12/11/25 at 12:45 PM on a slack tide (0.3 ft). The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 397 cfs.

Red Tide

On 12/5/25, the FWC reported that the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed in 20 samples from Northwest Florida. In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed. 

Blue-Green Algae

On 12/8/25, sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported Microcystis and Aphanizomenon as present at the Alva Boat Ramp, appearing as some light streaks. 

On 12/5/25 satellite imagery of Lake Okeechobee showed the presence of an algal bloom covering about 120 square miles, or 26% 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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