Direct rainfall caused Lake Okeechobee to rise slightly over the first weekend in August ...
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Direct rainfall caused Lake Okeechobee to rise slightly over the first weekend in August, as there was less evaporation due to cloudy weather. The lake had been around 13.5 feet for more than a month
For the seven-day period July 29-Aug. 4, direct rainfall into Lake O was 77,150-acre feet. Inflow from the north was 54,690-acre feet.
Evapotranspiration (a combination of evaporation and plant transpiration) removed 38,880-acre feet of water from the Big O.
Flow west to the Caloosahatchee River for the week was 900-acre feet of water. Target flow, measured at the W.P. Franklin Lock, is 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), which is within the beneficial flow rate for optimal salinity levels in the estuary. The W.P. Franklin Lock is more than 43 miles from Moore Haven, where lake water enters the river. If local basin runoff meets or exceeds the beneficial flow target, no lake water is released through the Julian Keen Jr. Lock at Moore Haven.
Flow south was just 330-acre feet. Due to heavy rainfall south of Lake O, little lake water was needed for crop irrigation or urban water supply.
The stormwater treatment areas (STAs) and water conservation areas (WCAs) south of Lake O also received heavy rainfall July 20-Aug. 4. Direct rainfall to WCA-3A and WCA-2A totaled 121,660-acre feet. Evapotranspiration removed 49,640 acre feet. Coastal flows were 6,230-acre feet. Flows southwest under the Tamiami Trail to Everglades National Park totaled 35,990-acre feet. In anticipation of Tropical Storm Debby, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened all available water control structures to move as much water as possible out of the WCAs.
