Lake O Yo-Yo: What‘s Going On with Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River?

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By Ed Killer for CAM

The last two weeks of Lake Okeechobee management has more closely resembled a kid playing with a yo-yo than the workings of a federal agency. Let me try to explain this so we can know what to expect going forward.

Jan. 22 - Army Corps of Engineers

Jacksonville District commander

Col. James Booth announces Lake Okeechobee discharges to begin to “lower the lake” before wet season June 1. Lake is at 16.02 feet above sea level. Corps wants to get it to 12.5 feet by June 1.

Feb. 28 - Army Corps of Engineers closed the flood gates at Port Mayaca Lock and Dam because of the visible presence of fluorescent green cyanobacteria. On Feb. 22, a Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection agency sample tested to have 0.62 parts per billion of microcystin - a toxic substance found in cyanobacteria. At 8 ppb, the EPA says it is harmful to humans, pets and wildlife.

March 2 - Army Corps resumes discharges from Port Mayaca because “no algae is visible” and opens gates at St. Lucie Lock and Dam. About 320 million gallons of dirty lake water streams down the C-44 canal towards Stuart. That water goes into the St. Lucie River for the next four days.

March 6 - Army Corps stops discharges again because algae is visible to lock and dam workers at Port Mayaca. Discharges also stopped at St. Lucie Lock and Dam.

March 7 - Army Corps resumes discharges at Port Mayaca, but not at St. Lucie Lock and Dam. C-44 too low, they say, and no visible algae present.

In 44 days, lake has come down 7 inches. That’s too much damage downstream to justify that little of a drop in level. Also, discharges west to Calosahatchee River never halted; kept at 1.29 billion gallons a day the whole time.

Seems pretty chaotic doesn’t it?

Here is what I think is going to happen.

1. Toxic algae growth will get worse as sunny days get longer and brighter.

2. Army Corps will have no choice but to stop discharging water to Stuart.

3. Expect total stoppage of discharges by April 15 for year due to algae.

4. Water users along C-44 Canal in western Martin County will complain.

5. Corps will be stuck with too much water in lake heading into unpredictable hurricane season.

Let’s hope Big Ag pulls more water out of the lake for irrigation and helps the coastal estuaries with their water problem. Or else we could all be in for a long summer.

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