October 31, 2025

Water Conditions Tracker

Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts

On 10/29/25 Lake Okeechobee was at 13.95 feet, increasing by 0.02 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 555 cfs (cubic feet per second) while flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 0 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-77 was 0 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 536 cfs and has been below the optimum flow envelope (<750 cfs; RECOVER 2020) for 4 days after 16 days in the optimum floe envelope (750- 2,100 cfs).

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): 0.46" Ortona (S-78): 0.41" 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 10/27/25 at 12:13 PM on a slack tide (0.2 ft). The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 665 cfs.

Red Tide

On 10/24/25, the FWC reported that the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed in six samples collected along Florida's Coasts over the past week. In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected offshore of Sarasota County. In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at medium to high concentrations in Gulf County. Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed. 

Wildlife Impacts

In the past week, the CROW wildlife hospital on Sanibel admitted 4 patients for suspected red tide/toxicosis: 1 juvenile LAGU (deceased), 1 adult pied-billed grebe (deceased), 1 adult mottled duck (deceased) and 1 adult magnificent frigate bird (still in care).

Blue-Green Algae

On 10/27/25, sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported no visible cyanobacteria across all sites.

On 10/28/25 satellite imagery of Lake Okeechobee showed the presence of an algal bloom but cloud cover and winds prevented an area from being determined. The previous measurement of the bloom from 10/22/25 covered about 160 square miles, or 34% 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 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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