Lake Okeechobee at record low from drought; billions of gallons of water drained after hurricanes.

[madfloridian]

Lake Okeechobee at record low from drought; billions of water drained after hurricanes.

Lake Okeechobee releases stir up regrets as drought lasts

Nineteen months ago, saddled with drowning marshes, a weakened dike and a record-breaking hurricane season, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers got to work on an urgent task: dumping billions of gallons of water from Lake Okeechobee. At the time, it didn't just seem reasonable; it seemed necessary.

Now South Florida water managers see that point in late October 2005 as a much different milestone: the start of a crippling drought.

..."Now that people cannot water their lawns more than once a week, farmers and other critics call last year's lake dumping a major blunder, and even some board members of the South Florida Water Management District have tried to distance themselves from the decision.

I thought about this lake when we got the tropical storm this week-end. I think they got some rain. I knew we did in Central Florida, several inches. I have only seen Lake Okeechobee once up close...it is so big it boggles the mind. These pictures are moving.



Howard Kleman walks up the ramp of what was once a floating dock behind
Slim's Fish Camp on Torry Island in Belle Glade at the southern tip of Lake Okeechobee.(Scott Fisher, Sun-Sentinel)May 30, 2007

Lake Okeechobee drops to record low

Lake Okeechobee dipped to its all-time low on Thursday, worsening the strain on South Florida's primary backup water supply. How low it will go depends on how soon the summer rainy season begins its cycle of daily showers.

"For the first time, the entire system from Orlando to Key West is in a drought," said Carole Ann Wehle, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District. "Because Lake Okeechobee is so low ... their safety net is gone."

The lake on Thursday dropped to 8.94 feet above sea level.

That was 4 feet below normal and just under the previous low-water mark of 8.97 feet, set in May 2001 and tied on Wednesday.

Another picture from that article, from the picture gallery there.



This boat launch on Torry Island in Belle Glade at the southern tip of Lake Okeechobee has been rendered useless by the low water level. The Lake is on the brink of its lowest levels ever.
(Scott Fisher, Sun-Sentinel)
May 30, 2007

There are 3 videos at the Sun Sentinel site which I found fascinating.

They are on the right hand side of the article.

VIDEO: Truckloads of muck scraped from Lake O's lakebed

VIDEO: Record low levels for Lake Okeechobee

FILE VIDEO: Lake Okeechobee hits record low water levels in 2001

And from another article I found this picture.


The parched, cracked earth photo is evidence of several years of below
average rainfall, and the demand from cities and farms which resulted in
month after month of restrictions on irrigation and water use. The periodic
reoccurrence of low rainfall for several years in a row (early 60s, early
70s, late 80s) is the ultimate stress for the water management system.
http://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/posters/challenge/


That last picture is from the USGS website with a lot of water management info.