This Week's Water Conditions Update

August 15, 2025

Water Conditions Tracker

Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts

On 8/13/25 Lake Okeechobee was at 12.19 feet, increasing by 0.13 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 2,855 cfs (cubic feet per second) and flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 1 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-77 was 0 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 1,753 cfs and has been in the optimum flow envelope (750- 2,100 cfs; RECOVER 2020) for 16 days.

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

Water Surface Temperature

This Week

Daily Average for August 13, 2025


Gulf of Mexico: 88.0°F

Caloosahatchee (Beautiful Island): 89.0°F

Lake Okeechobee (Polesout3s): 87.0°F

Last Week

Daily Average for August 5, 2025


Gulf of Mexico: 91.0°F

Caloosahatchee (Beautiful Island): 90.3°F

Lake Okeechobee (Polesout3s): 87.3°F


New Oyster Reef Includes 6 Million Pounds of Fossil Shell

A new, 3-acre oyster reef has taken shape in San Carlos Bay, thanks to a massive restoration project led by SCCF's Marine Laboratory. The restored oyster reef is three times larger than other large reefs that SCCF has worked on restoring since 2007, including five reefs in Clam Bayou, two reefs in Pine Island Sound, three reefs in San Carlos Bay and one reef in Tarpon Bay.

Weekly Rainfall Totals

WP Franklin (S-79): 1.53" Ortona (S-78): 4.04" Julian Keen Jr. (S-77): 2.05"

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 8/11/25 at 1:59 PM on a slack tide (3.2 ft). The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 1,429 cfs.

Red Tide

On 8/8/25, the FWC reported that the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was not observed in samples collected statewide. 

Blue-Green Algae

On 8/11/25, sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported no visible cyanobacteria across all sites. 

On 8/13/25, satellite imagery of Lake Okeechobee showed the presence of an algal bloom covering about 420 square miles, or 89% 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.

Resources To Follow:

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 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

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