Lake Okeechobee level drops below 16 feet

Drier weather helped Lake Okeechobee drop below 16 feet in mid-March.

For the seven-day period March 11-17, there was no direct rainfall into the big lake, according to the South Florida Water Management update released March 20.

Surface inflows from the north into Lake O totaled 21,800 acre feet. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to send water south from Lake Kissimmee to keep that lake’s water level low enough to make repairs to a water control structure.

Most of the water that left the lake March 11-17 was via evapotranspiration, a combination of evaporation and plant transpiration. The lake lost 46,300 acre feet via evapotranspiration over the seven-day period. In that same period, 18,530 acre feet flowed south for irrigation and water supply. 6,320 acre feet flowed east to the St. Lucie River; and 27,960 acre feet flowed west to the Caloosahatchee River.