Lake Okeechobee’s Level Hits All-Time Low for This Time of Year
By Andy Reid, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Apr. 10–Lake Okeechobee over the weekend dropped to an all-time low for this time of year, worsening South Florida’s water supply problems and adding urgency to tougher water restrictions expected on Friday.
The lake on Monday was 10.09 feet above sea level, the lowest level measured on an April 9 since recordings started more than 70 years ago, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
If the drought continues, water managers expect the lake to dip at least a foot below the historic low of 8.97 feet, reached in May 2001.
The lake has now dropped below the point where water managers can rely on gravity to move water south into irrigation canals, used by sugar cane, vegetable and other growers in the Everglades Agricultural Area.
It also remains too low to help restock South Florida drinking water supplies, said Jesus Rodriguez, spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District.
The drought’s effects became evident quickly Monday afternoon when winds propelled a large brush fire north to the Alligator Alley portion of Interstate 75. By Monday evening, officials had shut down the highway from U.S. 27 to the Collier County line.
The fire, which started Sunday on the south side of the interstate, consumed about 12,000 acres, state Division of Forestry spokesman Scott Peterich said, and had been about 10 percent contained Monday evening. Winds were relatively low, about 5 mph, Peterich said, so the fire wasn’t as intense as it could be. Forestry workers were monitoring the blaze and dousing its perimeters.
“It’s the smoke that’s a concern right now,” Peterich said.
Low lake levels, coupled with reduced levels in the Everglades water conservation areas, prompted the district on March 22 to impose three-day-a-week watering restrictions. The district’s governing board is expected on Thursday to move to twice-a-week restrictions in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. That would take effect on Friday.
“It is just a deteriorating situation,” Rodriguez said. “We are dealing with it as best we can.”
While water restrictions started for most South Floridians last month, western sugar cane, vegetable and other growers have been dealing with forced irrigation cutbacks since November.
Even with the addition of emergency pumps to help move water south, growers in the Everglades Agricultural Area are left with about half the lake water they usually use for irrigation.
“It’s drastic,” said Charles Shinn, who monitors water conditions for the Florida Farm Bureau. “We have got us some real problems.”
Warming weather forecast for this week was expected to add to the evaporation taking its toll on the lake and other water supplies.
After a cool weekend, temperatures should hit the low and mid-80s this week — right around the norm for this time of year, said Joel Rothfuss, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Miami.
Rain showers and thunderstorms were expected to move from the Gulf of Mexico across Central Florida this week, increasing the chances for rainfall in South Florida today and Wednesday, Rothfuss said. More rain is expected this weekend, but nowhere near the 6- to 9-inch soaking the region needs, he said.
“It doesn’t look like the rain is going to be a drought breaker, by any means,” Rothfuss said.
Nursery operators and landscapers are teaming with the district for television spots and pamphlets aimed at helping residents make better use of water, while also encouraging them to keep buying and planting.
Current water restrictions allow five-day-a-week watering for new landscaping, but once plants are established residents should cut back to once or twice a week, said Elise Ryan, who chairs the environmental policy committee for the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscaping Association.
“A lot of people in South Florida water too much,” Ryan said. “Your garden will be healthier if you water less often, once your plants are established.”
Drought concerns, meanwhile, have not dissuaded the Army Corps of Engineers from pursuing a plan to start keeping the lake about a foot lower than normal year round. Lower water levels can improve the environmental health of the lake and also ease worries about water eroding the 70-year-old earthen dike that protects South Florida from lake flooding.
Water restrictions will be factored into the new plan for Lake Okeechobee, which after more public review could be implemented this summer, said Andrew Geller, a hydrological engineer for the corps.
Building more reservoirs to capture rainwater that drainage systems flush to tide and recycling wastewater for irrigation would help protect the natural flows needed to replenish rivers and wetlands, said John Koch, chairman of the Sierra Club’s Loxahatchee group.
“We are stuck with the system we have got [in] the short term. Long term, there’s a lot of stuff we could do,” Koch said.
Staff Writer Robert Nolin contributed to this report.
Andy Reid can be reached at abreid@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5504.
water conservation
Broward municipalities take their own action to further conserve water. 2B
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