87% of wet season flow to Caloosahatchee was from local basin runoff

Despite Lake Okeechobee’s high water level, relatively little water from Lake Okeechobee has been released to the Caloosahatchee River this wet season.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer data, since the 2023 wet season started on May 15, total flows through the Franklin Lock and Dam have been 87% local basin runoff and just 13% water from Lake Okeechobee.

During the wet season, USACE has maintained an average target flow at the Franklin Lock of 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). That’s within the “beneficial flow range” for the estuary. Too little freshwater makes the estuary too saline and too much freshwater makes the estuary too fresh for the health of the plants and animals that live in the estuary.