ENVIRONMENT

Caloosahatchee to get more water from Lake Okeechobee as rainy season approaches

Amy Bennett Williams
Fort Myers News-Press

For more than a month, the Caloosahatchee has been in trouble, after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cut flows to the river from Lake Okeechobee in April, following the driest March on record.

But now, with the federal agency releasing more freshwater from the lake to the Gulf of Mexico, the thirsty, salty river will get some relief.

The Corps has increased the flows from the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam in Olga to the Caloosahatchee estuary to an average rate of 650 cubic feet per second. For the past month, they’d been about 450 cubic feet per second, little enough to hurt the plants and animals that live there.

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Col. Andrew Kelly, the Corps’ Jacksonville District commander, said recent rains have improved conditions throughout the system. "The other good news is that NOAA just issued their updated one-month outlook for May, which shows higher chances of above normal rain for most of the state of Florida. Typically, the wet season begins by mid- to late May, so we are in a better position right now to be able to provide a little more water to the Caloosahatchee to help maintain favorable salinity conditions in the estuary."

If predicted heavy rains predicted to start Saturday materialize, the Corps may increase flows down the river, and maybe even the St. Lucie, which hadn't been getting flows, in order to prevent flooding.

"The forecasted rainfall is more than we've seen in a while, and conditions can change quickly in an event like this," said Col. Andrew Kelly, Jacksonville District commander in a statement. "We want our stakeholders to be aware of these potential conditions which may require action ... Our overall strategy remains unchanged for now, and we will continue to conserve water in Lake Okeechobee."

About a century ago, humans permanently joined the lake to the river, as part of a plan to dry out the surrounding land and the Everglades for farming and homes. Before that, lake water entered the river only during wet periods; the two weren't connected the rest of the year.

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During the dry season, rainwater and sheetflow from the river’s watershed kept it supplied with fresh water. Even when it wasn’t raining, water from the region’s vast wetlands gradually seeped into the river, keeping it hydrated and the estuary healthy.

But now that much of the surrounding area has been paved and drained, that slow, steady flow no longer happens, and instead, water from Lake O helps keep the salinity down when it’s dry.

The news of the increased was cheered by river advocates, who’d been dismayed at the Caloosahatchee taking the brunt of the drought, “while no other water user was restricted in any way shape or form,” said Rae Ann Wessel, natural resource policy director for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. She and Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani have sharply criticized policymakers for not hewing to the idea of “shared adversity” that’s supposed to govern decisions about the lake and the river.

Simply put, the idea is that all those with an interest in the watershed should shoulder the effects of tough times equally. But that doesn't happen, advocates say. 

"The estuary definitely needs the extra flows since the salinity at Fort Myers has been above the harm level for most of the dry season (but) I would also like to see agriculture share some of the adversity,” Cassani said.

Though lake water sometimes carries harmful algae into the river, the Corps said current satellite imagery shows a low to moderate risk of algal bloom potential on the northern shores of Lake Okeechobee.

Kelly said the Corps will keep monitoring conditions closely and adjusting flows as needed.

He also promised that changes in flows to the estuaries will be announced to the public. "We remain optimistic about entering the wet season at a reasonable lake level, and will continue to balance the system, providing additional flows west to help estuarine ecology while continuing to carefully monitor conditions in coordination with our partners at the South Florida Water Management District, as they move forward with their initiatives to conserve water and mitigate water supply concerns."