Posted on 07/09/2018 7:28:33 AM PDT by janetjanet998
GLADES COUNTY, Fla. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will suspend water releases from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Estuaries starting Monday morning.
"As we look at operations in the system, we believe we can pause discharges for a short time to get additional input from staff on available options for moving water," said Col. Jason Kirk, Jacksonville District Commander. "We have implemented higher stages in the canal along the Tamiami Trail and we have implemented deviations to generate flexibility in operations at the southern end of the system to move additional water south. We want to ensure we are using all available flexibility before we resume discharges east and west."
That is incorrect. See post #65 for a map of the agricultural region.
The sugarcane fields are south and east of the lake. Drainage is from north to south and since the lake is surrounded by a dike, nutrient laden runoff from the cane fields doesn't get into the lake.
For certain, agricultural interests south of the lake do not want their fields annexed for use as water retention basins.
Remember, the entire purpose of the flood control system was to make otherwise useless land productive.
The present problem concerns pumping of water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatche and St. Lucie rivers where it ultimately empties into the intracoastal waterway and ocean.
Freshwater bodies in Florida commonly have an icedtea color. This is safe, entirely natural and is caused by tannins from organic matter in the soil. When that icetea colored water meets the clear waters of the ocean, it creates photo-opportunities for the media who sensationalize it as polluted water contaminating otherwise pristine ocean water.
Big Sugar has nothing to do with the present pumping, or the initial discharge from a few years ago.
There are large tracts of land south of the lake where water used to be pumped but no longer can be pumped to due to various legislation, primarily environmental legislation. So, when lake water levels get too high, the South Florida Water Management District is left with no other option than to pump into the two rivers.
It is more than ironic how the early and mid20th century flood control system transformed vast fetid fever swamps into productive land and flourishing wildlife habitat yet the flood control system is now prohibited from discharging water into designated discharge areas it created... areas which without the flood control system would have already been flooded and wildlife disrupted.
Sounds like a job for Skink.
Love, Carl
lake now 14.46. up .02 word is the corps will resume releases later this week...
there is a trickle of a few 100 cfs south out of the S354 canal
inflow is at 5100 bfs
Lake Kissimmee outflows have increased to above 3000 cfs for the first time since the aftermath of Irma(about doubled from before)..as I mentioned yesterday the Chain of Lakes are very high..this increased outflows will reach Lake O next week..
here are some new articles from this morning
how high levels on the Lake are affecting people..
Rising Lake Okeechobee levels threaten fishing
http://www.wflx.com/story/38607761/rising-lake-okeechobee-levels-threaten-fishing
A Plan To Save Estuaries By Targeting Water North Of Lake Okeechobee
http://wlrn.org/post/plan-save-estuaries-targeting-water-north-lake-okeechobee
Thanks; I stand corrected.
I have read that “Big Sugar” is to blame for a lot of this mess.
That is incorrect. See post #65 for a map of the agricultural region.
The sugarcane fields are south and east of the lake. Drainage is from north to south and since the lake is surrounded by a dike, nutrient laden runoff from the cane fields doesn’t get into the lake.
For certain, agricultural interests south of the lake do not want their fields annexed for use as water retention basins.
Remember, the entire purpose of the flood control system was to make otherwise useless land productive.
The present problem concerns pumping of water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatche and St. Lucie rivers where it ultimately empties into the intracoastal waterway and ocean.
Freshwater bodies in Florida commonly have an icedtea color. This is safe, entirely natural and is caused by tannins from organic matter in the soil. When that icetea colored water meets the clear waters of the ocean, it creates photo-opportunities for the media who sensationalize it as polluted water contaminating otherwise pristine ocean water.
Big Sugar has nothing to do with the present pumping, or the initial discharge from a few years ago.
There are large tracts of land south of the lake where water used to be pumped but no longer can be pumped to due to various legislation, primarily environmental legislation. So, when lake water levels get too high, the South Florida Water Management District is left with no other option than to pump into the two rivers.
It is more than ironic how the early and mid20th century flood control system transformed vast fetid fever swamps into productive land and flourishing wildlife habitat yet the flood control system is now prohibited from discharging water into designated discharge areas it created... areas which without the flood control system would have already been flooded and wildlife disrupted.
Very informative post.
Live in the Stuart Fla area so we see the results of the discharges from the lake as it enters the St. Lucie river, and out the inlet area. When its in full release you have to go 2 miles offshore before the water turns blue. Otherwise its a mottled brown color.
On our local canal C-23 we get runoffs from the agricultural fields and community related overflows during heavy rains. Its normally brackish water, but during discharges the fish leave. The first signs or “ re living” as I call it are when the jellyfish and stingrays start to come back.
Talking to the old-timers ( 20-30 years ago) they tell the tale of how there were seagrasses everywhere, blue water, conch , oysters.... All thats gone to the folly of discharges...
Highly toxic algae reported in C-44 Canal as return of Lake Okeechobee discharges looms
When Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River resume, the water is likely to contain highly toxic algae.
A water sample taken July 5 at the St. Lucie Lock and Dam, the conduit for Lake O water to the St. Lucie, was 15 times as toxic as what the World Health Organization considers hazardous in recreational contact.
The sample contained the toxin microcystin at a level of 154.38 parts per billion, according to information posted Tuesday on the state Department of Environmental Protection algae website.
Anything over 10 parts per billion is considered hazardous.
Consider the St. Johns River. It pours that same color water into the ocean at Jacksonville 24/7. Here's an article giving some background on why the water is the color it is.
http://www.jacksonville.com/article/20130128/NEWS/801258584
Talking to the old-timers ( 20-30 years ago) they tell the tale of how there were seagrasses everywhere, blue water, conch , oysters.... All thats gone to the folly of discharges...
That's the point I've been trying to get across to people. These present type discharges used to not happen and it isn't because of the farmers. The farmers have been there for generations. Rather than reflexively blaming the farmers, people need to be asking why the present discharges are necessary when they weren't 30 years ago.
do you know if anything changed in the Corps policy as far as releases? For example, 30 years ago did they discharge if the lake was 14.2 feet in June? Or did they take a wait and see approach what happened that summer and then discharged at a higher volume later? It is my understanding the dike is ok until about 16 feet but then seepage and inspections start.
I saw a presentation online of an If, Then, Else flowchart of discharge policy but don’t recall the start date
It said Pulse releases if the lake was between X and Y feet in June and if the outlook for the wet season was “wet”(like this year) to discharge..if the outlook was “dry” then don’t discharge until Z feet
If The Corp saw that algae in the lake why couldn’t they wait to see what happens later in the summer and do constant discharges at higher rates if that had to “catch up” instead of off and on low-moderate volume discharges so early?
anyway lake is at 14.48 ft up .02 inflow 4000 cfs with a trickle of outflow South
Heavy rain the Water Storage area south caused a slight rise in the water levels there..
forecast is a little wetter the next few days
As far as I know, they have always discharged when lake levels got too high but did so primarily in areas south of the lake. They pumped water south towards the Everglades.
According to the following 2016 dated article, in 1999 the US Fish and Wildlife Service closed of large portions of the Everglades to discharge from Lake Okeechobee in order to protect Cape Sable Sparrow nesting habitat.
Environmentalists prevent water nature destined for the Everglades from flowing into the Everglades yet, everybody listens to the media and blames farmers for simultaneously starving the Everglades of water and discharging flood waters into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers.
Since 1999, at the direction of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has closed very large water control gates along Tamiami Trail leading into Everglades National Park, preventing their use from November to July every year supposedly to protect the sparrow. This has parched the park and Florida Bay of much needed clean fresh water.http://sunshinestatenews.com/story/saving-endangered-sparrow-and-restoring-balance-everglades-ecosystem-possible-after-all
Lake holding at 14.48 today
due to lack of rain in lower kissimmee ..inflows only 3700 cfs...outflows continue over 3000 cfs from the Chain of lakes into the upper Kissimmee..
outflows have increased to about 1300 south out of the 351 ans 354 canals
the Corps will release their updated plan a couple of hours
They are going to resume releases this weekend
With Lake Okeechobee approaching 14.5 feet, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Jacksonville District will resume water releases this weekend as part of its continued efforts to manage flood risk throughout south Florida.
The discharges are scheduled to resume Friday (July 13). The target flow for the Caloosahatchee Estuary is a 14-day average of 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) as measured at Moore Haven Lock (S-77) located in the southwest part of the lake. The target flow for the St. Lucie Estuary is a 14-day average of 1,800 cfs as measured at St. Lucie Lock (S-80) near Stuart. Additional runoff from rain in the St. Lucie basin could occasionally result in flows that exceed the target.
“Over the upcoming 14-day period, we will operate with discharges slightly lower than the limits in LORS (Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule),” said Col. Jason Kirk, Jacksonville District commander. “We will implement pulse releases with variable flows that simulate rainfall events in an effort to reduce some of the environmental impacts.”
Today, the lake stage is 14.48 feet, up 1.65 feet from its 2018 low which occurred May 13. The lake stage today is the third highest for this date in the 11 years since the 2008 LORS was adopted. Under current conditions, LORS authorizes USACE to discharge up to 4,000 cfs to the Caloosahatchee (measured at S-77) and up to 1,800 cfs to the St. Lucie (measured at S-80.....
............
We have received permission to open the S-12 structures on July 13, which will help increase flows from the overfull Water Conservation Area 3A into Everglades National Park,” said Kirk. “The Water Management District is slowing flows into the lake from the Kissimmee River and other points north, and moving as much water as they can to tide and to other storage areas at points south.”
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