This Week's Water Conditions Update
October 29, 2021
Water Conditions Tracker
Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts
On 10/27/21 Lake Okeechobee was at 15.88 feet (+0.05 feet in the past week).The weekly average flow at S-79 was 879 cfs (cubic feet per second) this week. The 14-day average flow on 10/27/21 was 1,121 cfs and is has been in the optimal flow envelope (750 - 2100 cfs) for 8 days. As flows from the watershed decrease with minimal rainfall in the region, lake releases from S-77 may increase to provide water supply for agriculture, maintain optimal flows for salinity at S-79 and to try to achieve lake levels within the ecological envelope.
For more information on Lake Okeechobee and estuary conditions go to the latest Caloosahatchee Conditions Report
Virtual Water Quality Tour from Lighthouse Beach
Click here or on the image above to take a virtual tour from above Lighthouse Beach Park to see how the water looked this week.

With no flows from Lake Okeechobee, water clarity and quality is only being affected by the watershed and stormwater runoff from rain. Photo was taken on 10/22/21 at 1:45 PM on rising tide (high tide @ 2:49 PM (2.24ft)).
Red Tide
Satellite imagery over the past week has mostly been obscured by clouds, but on 10/27/21 a high chlorophyll patch was observed approximately 25 - 35 miles off the coast of Naples. Karenia brevis and/or other algal species may be contributing to the chlorophyll concentrations.

In Lee County, FWC cell counts for Karenia brevis were observed at background to medium concentrations with one sample having bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter). The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) on Sanibel received 5 birds with toxicosis symptoms (from red tide or blue-green algae) from 10/17/21 - 10/25/21.
The FWC fish kill hotline continues to receive reports of red tide related fish kills in Pinellas (16 reports), Sarasota (3 reports) and Manatee (1 report) counties. They are also receiving reports in the panhandle related to red tide.
Blue-Green Algae
No cyanobacteria was present in the Caloosahatchee over the past week. On 10/27/21 satellite imagery showed algal blooms covering about 200 square miles of Lake Okeechobee and there is a 20% bloom potential the Lake.
Resources To Follow:
To learn more about our current water conditions, click on the following links:

A collaborative, weekly analysis, including recommendations for water managers regarding Lake Okeechobee flows.

SCCF's River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network is a network of eight optical water quality sensors deployed throughout the Caloosahatchee and the Pine Island Sound estuary to provide real-time water quality data.

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