On 4/21/22 Lake Okeechobee was at 13.21 feet, decreasing by 0.21 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 1,614 cfs (cubic feet per second) and flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 640 cfs. The 14-day average flow was 1,698 cfs and has been in the optimal flow envelope for 149 days.

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

As of 4/16/21 flows to the Caloosahatchee from S-79, at the Franklin Lock and Dam, were reduced to a 7-day average, pulse release of 1,500 cfs. Decreased flows near the end of the dry season, when fish and oyster spawning are beginning, help prevent the advection of larvae to less suitable downstream habitats.

Satellite imagery over the past week has not detected any blooms off the coast of Southwest Florida.

On 4/15/22, the FWC reported that the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed at background concentrations in one Northwest Florida sample over the past week. In Southwest Florida, K. brevis was not observed.

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) on Sanibel received 2 birds with toxicosis symptoms (from red tide or blue-green algae) from 4/12/22 - 4/18/22.

On 4/18/22 sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported the presence of Dolichospermum, Microcystis, and cyano-filaments at the Alva Boat Ramp and the Davis Boat Ramp as visible specks. Dolichospermum, Microcystis, and cyano-filaments were moderately abundant upstream of the Franklin Locks with streaks and accumulation along the locks.

Over the past week, satellite imagery from Lake Okeechobee showed 5 - 10% bloom potential on approximately 80 square miles along North and western shoreline.

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

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

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.

Algae Reporting App.

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