SCCF Weekly Water Conditions Update

This Week's Water Conditions Update

December 16, 2022

Water Conditions Tracker

Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts

On 12/15/22 Lake Okeechobee was at 16.36 feet, decreasing by 0.08 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 1,433 cfs (cubic feet per second) and flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 1,261 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 1,92222 cfs and has been in the optimal flow envelope (750-2,100cfs) for 49 days.

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

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 12/12/22 at 12:28 PM on a rising tide (Low tide @ 9:50 AM (-0.44 ft)).

Red Tide

Satellite imagery over the past week has detected low to high concentrations of chlorophyll of the coast of Southwest Florida, with high concentrations near Tampa Bay.

On 12/9/22, the FWC reported that over the past week the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed in 69 samples. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were present in 29 samples: four in and offshore of Pinellas County, four offshore of Hillsborough County, two in Manatee County, and 19 in Sarasota County.

K. brevis was observed at background to high concentrations in and offshore of Pinellas County, very low to high concentrations in and offshore of Hillsborough County, background to medium concentrations in and offshore of Manatee County, background to high concentrations in Sarasota County, low concentrations in Charlotte County, background to low concentrations in Lee County, and background concentrations in Collier County.

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) (currently displaced off island) received 7 birds with toxicosis symptoms (from red tide or blue-green algae) from 12/6/22 - 12/12/22.

Beach Conditions

The FWC Fishkill hotline continues to receive reports of fish kills and respiratory irritation due to the current red tide bloom at Boca Ciega Bay, Pass-A-Grille Beach, Fort DeSoto Boat Ramp, Grand Canal, North sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier, Shell Key Preserve, Treasure Island Public Beach, Mud Bayou, Outback Key Lagoon, Lemon Bay, Cortez Beach. Affected Species: mullet, pinfish, grunt, black drum, spotted sea trout, snook, sheepshead, needlefish, snapper, grouper, and unidentified fish.

Blue-Green Algae

On 12/12/22 sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported no cyanobacteria in the Caloosahatchee.

On 12/14/22, satellite imagery from Lake Okeechobee showed no bloom potential in 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.

Download the algae reporting app on your phone by clicking here or by searching for the ArcGIS Survey123 app in the app store. Once installed, give the app permission to access your phone’s location to receive GPS coordinates of your sighting and camera/media to capture and attach pictures. When you open the app, click “Continue Without Signing In.”

Next, download the algae reporting survey by scanning the QR code above or clicking here on your phone. Once the survey is downloaded, fill out the required fields and click the check mark in the lower right corner to submit your sighting. Note: If you do not have cellular coverage, you can still fill out the survey and save it in the outbox to be sent later.

Click here to download instructions.

Resources To Follow:

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

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

Algae Reporting App.

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