May 8, 2026

Water Conditions Tracker

Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts

On 5/6/26 Lake Okeechobee was at 11.54 feet, decreasing by 0.18 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 491 cfs (cubic feet per second) while flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 701 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-77 was 652 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 443 cfs and has been below the optimum flow envelope (<750 cfs; RECOVER 2020) for 14 consecutive days and for 178 of the past 193 days.

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

Water Surface Temperature

Weekly Rainfall Totals

WP Franklin (S-79): 0.55" Ortona (S-78): 0.20" Julian Keen Jr. (S-77): 0.63"

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 5/6/26 at 1:51 PM on a slack tide (3.0 ft). The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 443 cfs.

Red Tide

On 5/1/26, the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed at background concentrations in one sample from Northwest Florida. In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.

Wildlife Impacts

In the past week, the CROW wildlife hospital on Sanibel admitted 0 patients for suspected red tide/toxicosis.

Blue-Green Algae

On 5/4/26, sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported abundant concentrations of Microcystis at the Alva Boat Ramp, appearing as streaks with accumulation and abundant concentrations of Microcystis, Dolichospermum, Aphanizomenon and cyano filaments with colonies too numerous to count upstream of the Franklin Locks, appearing as streaks with accumulation and clumps. Microcystis, Dolichospermum and cyano filaments were moderately abundant at the Davis Boat Ramp, appearing as streaks.

Lake Okeechobee Cyanobacteria

On 5/6/26 satellite imagery of Lake Okeechobee showed the presence of an algal bloom covering about 100 square miles or 21% 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.

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 (RECON) is a network of water quality sensors deployed throughout the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary to provide real-time, water quality data to scientists, policy makers, and the general public.

Caloosahatchee River Virtual Tour



Red Tide Resources

NOAA HAB Monitoring System - Lake Okeechobee

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