Churning storm sparks concern over dike leaks (startled crabs & fish stress over families & homes)

The Fort Myers News Press via SOUNDOFF ^ | 09-05-03 | PAMELA SMITH HAYFORD

[AAABEST]

The Herbert Hoover Dike, which is holding back high water in Lake Okeechobee, sprung a leak.

This wasn’t the gusher type that normally comes to mind, but rather more seepage than normal, says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Last week’s seepage and one in June were considered minor and have been fixed.

But with a tropical storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico and already heavy inflow to the lake, Okeechobee’s water will keep rising — increasing the chances of more leaks, damage to the lake’s health and greater releases of water to the Caloosahatchee River and St. Lucie Canal.

“All levees leak,” said Karen Estock, the corps’ chief of field operations and readiness in Clewiston. “They’re designed to do that.”

The Corps inspects the levee every seven days.

“At this time we haven’t found anything causing alarms,” Estock said.

Until Everglades restoration is done, the fastest way to get water out of the lake is via the Caloosahatchee.

Too much fresh water for too long, however, stresses fish, kills oysters, chases off crabs and damages the grasses these critters need for protection and food.

“We did have some mortalities,” said Aswani Volety, a Florida Gulf Coast University associate professor conducting oyster research on the Caloosahatchee. “The spawning was delayed this year.”

The Corps started releasing close to 50,000 gallons a second from the lake to the river since Aug. 29. Smaller releases have been made throughout the dry season.

The Corps is not likely to increase water releases unless a storm dumps a lot of water over the lake or its drainage basin, Estock said.

That may be on the way.

A tropical depression was churning 145 miles offshore in the Gulf on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“The Kissimmee area and Lake Okeechobee have the potential of seeing 6 inches or more of rain,” said NBC-2 meteorologist Eileen Javora.

Lee County will probably see less, no more than 2 inches.

“We’re on the outer fringes of the system,” Javora said. “Expect it to become breezy (later today). There’s a possibility that we might see some bands moving in off the Gulf, possibly (today) and early Saturday. The heaviest rain, however, will stay north of our area.”

The lake was 16.64 feet above sea level Thursday and rising. That’s about 1.5 feet higher than the Corps would like it this time of year.

At 18 feet, the leaks are almost guaranteed, and breaching becomes a concern.

“Everybody’s kind of setting on edge right now,” said Jim Wells, who works at Angler’s Marina in Clewiston on the south side of the lake. “Just cross your fingers that we don’t get to 18 feet this year.”

The Corps is prepared to handle more leaks and has supplies on hand to make the fixes just as it did in 1995 and ’98 when high water threatened to breach the dike, Estock said.

Sandbags fixed the second of this year’s leaks Friday and another was remedied in June with a French drain along 1.1 miles at South Bay.

Inspections on Wednesday showed no new leaks, Estock said.

[Cobra64]

on the extremely off chance you seriously don't know, do a google and see what "pops up".

That's what I did the first time I saw "MILF." Quite a shocker.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, this thread is now beyond repair.... ;~D

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Its not my fault.

[blackie]

Damn ~ leaky dykes and frightened crabs ~ what's the world coming to. *sigh*

[AAABEST]

Is there some argument about how the water should be released when it rains like Hell? - What am I missing?

Read post#1 you won't be missing anything.

[AAABEST]

I just can't figure out at the moment who is supposed to do what...

OK, I see what you're asking now. To answer your question directly, the ACOE should be letting the water out NOW instead of worrying about the comfort level of crabs and fish.

[Joe Brower]

Hey, triple-A, what do ya expect? None of this should be of any surprise when we keep in mind the simple fact that

ENVIRONAZIS DON'T SO MUCH LOVE NATURE AS THEY HATE MANKIND!

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[HairOfTheDog]

I did read it.... I understand that you are all ticked off, that you don't like talk of fish being stressed, but that is about all I got from it.

[HairOfTheDog]

Its not my fault.

Silly, of course it is....

[HairOfTheDog]

OK - gotcha....

[metesky]

Makes me wonder how the poor crabs and fishies managed to survive before all the dikes and canals were constructed and pretty much the whole state was a slowly flowing river.

[Fearless Flyers]

Looks like I may be paying you all a visit. The boss has told us to be prepared to move the equipment fast.

I may be a callin on ya John, we're still waiting to see what happens up Tampa way before we know our destination.

[cogitator]

I think I get that at some point people decided they wanted to move in and not be flooded, so dikes were built that keep most people dry most of the time...

I believe that the primary motivation was agricultural, but I'm not certain. But they do grow a lot of tomatoes on land that used to be prime Everglades.

[cogitator]

Makes me wonder how the poor crabs and fishies managed to survive before all the dikes and canals were constructed and pretty much the whole state was a slowly flowing river.

They could move to where the conditions were more congenial. Their movement "capability" is now restricted by the water system in South Florida.

[bedolido]

I read the title and thought it was about lesbians using depends (with wings... for the extra heavy days)

[metesky]

I dunno, cogitator. The crabs prefer brackish water (where fresh water and salt water mingle) and it seems (to me) that theres still plenty of that around the Florida coast.

'Course I'm a carpenter, not a cogitator.

;O)

[RightWhale]

“All levees leak,” . . . “They’re designed to do that.”

The design is working

[AAABEST]

FYI the Caloosahatchee is man made and the stupid f**king crabs that everyone is so worried about (including you) just walk up and down stream to where the salinity is the proper level for them. I believe that the primary motivation was agricultural, but I'm not certain. But they do grow a lot of tomatoes on land that used to be prime Everglades. The "primary motivation" was to protect human life and property, not to create and bio world where lying junk-science freaks could play God with wildlife.

Since you know so much about the area where I live and work, could you define "prime Everglades" for me?

Did you rknow that they built your house on what was once "prime woodlands"? Sorry to break that news to you, hope you were sitting down.