This Week's Water Conditions Update
September 10, 2021
Water Conditions Tracker Video Tutorial

Our water conditions tracker is intended to give you a quick and simple snapshot of a complex and dynamic system. Our video tutorial explains what each section of the graphic means so that you can know the status of blue-green algae, red tide, lake levels, and flow throughout the system at a glance.
Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts
On September 8, 2021 Lake Okeechobee was at 14.69 feet (+0.03 feet). The volume of water reaching the Caloosahatchee from the watershed has decreased to an average of 1,882 cfs (cubic feet per second) this week. The 14-day average flow on 9/8/21 was 2,046 cfs which is in the optimum flow envelope for the Caloosahatchee estuary. This volume is measured at the Franklin Lock and Dam (S-79) in Alva. Flows from S-79 have been in the optimum flow envelope for 12 days and water clarity around Sanibel has been improving.

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.

With no flows from Lake Okeechobee, water clarity and quality is only being affected by the watershed and stormwater runoff from rain.
Red Tide
Currently, red tide has a patchy and rapidly changing distribution in Southwest Florida. Satellite imagery over the past week has shown high levels of chlorophyll off of the coast of Boca Grande and North Captiva. This chlorophyll patch has moved south since last week and corresponds to water samples with bloom concentrations of Karenia brevis, and other algal species may be contributing to the high chlorophyll levels as well. The FWC Fish Kill Hotline has been receiving numerous reports of fish kills associate with red tide in Pinellas, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties.

In Lee County, FWC reported very low to low levels of Karenia brevis in Pine Island Sound, medium concentrations in Boca Grande Pass and not present/background concentrations off the coast of Sanibel. The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) on Sanibel received 10 patients with toxicosis symptoms (from red tide or blue-green algae) from 8/30/21 - 9/5/21.
Blue-Green Algae
Cyanobacteria was present upstream of S-79 in Alva on 9/3/21 and upstream and downstream on 9/4/21. It was present downstream of S-77 in Moore Haven on 9/5/21 and 9/7/21. On 9/8/21 algal blooms covered about 120 square miles of Lake Okeechobee. There is presently a 35 - 40% bloom-potential on Lake Okeechobee based on the most recent satellite imagery.
Resources To Follow:
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.



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