SCCF Weekly Water Conditions Update

This Week's Water Conditions Update

January 20, 2023

Water Conditions Tracker

Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts

On 1/18/23 Lake Okeechobee was at 16.13 feet, decreasing by 0.15 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 2,131 cfs (cubic feet per second) and flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 1,736 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 1,928 cfs and has been in the optimum flow envelope (750 - 2,100 cfs) for 20 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 1/17/23 at 11:50 AM on a slack tide (1.2 ft).

Red Tide

Satellite imagery over the past week has detected no chlorophyll off the coast of Southwest Florida.

On 1/18/23, the FWC reported the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was detected in 89 samples collected from and offshore of Southwest Florida over the past week. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were present in 11 samples: two in Manatee County, one offshore of Sarasota County, four offshore of Charlotte County, two in Lee County, and two offshore of Monroe County.

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

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) (currently displaced off island) received 1 bird with toxicosis symptoms (from red tide or blue-green algae) from 1/10/23 - 1/16/23.

Beach Conditions

The City of Sanibel reported 6 deceased birds at various stages of decay found on the beach during a beach cleanup including 1 double crested cormorant, 2 brown pelicans, 1 royal tern, and 2 herring gulls. SCCF reported an abundance of dead shells in the wrack line including dosnia, cockles, pen shells, and fighting conchs on beach surveys from Lighthouse Beach Park to Tarpon Bay on 1/17/23 (photo on right). (Cause unknown.)

Blue-Green Algae

On 1/17/23 sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported the

presence of Microcystis at the Alva Boat Ramp as visible specks.

On 1/17/23, satellite imagery from Lake Okeechobee showed sparse and patchy low to medium 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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