Lake Okeechobee water level drops due to Florida drought. How to check

Lake Okeechobee has started to thrive this year as water levels lower and sun reaches the underwater plants in one of the nation's largest freshwater lakes, due to Florida's prolonged drought.

State agencies were able to dredge portions of Lake Okeechobee in the summer for the first time since 2007. These areas, which should be clear water, are coated in muck from manure and fertilizer runoff.

The muck smothers native plants, sprouting a motley tangle of cattail and willow when water recedes.

“Right now, things are flourishing and it’s wonderful to see,” Paul Gray, an expert on Lake Okeechobee for Audubon Florida, told USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida. “If the lake doesn’t go up really fast and leave young plants in the dark, we should have a super strong recovery.”

From 12 to 15 feet above sea level is considered to be the ideal range for most recreational anglers and professional guides, says Bass Online's website. In this window, the ecosystem stays stable and the depth allows sunlight to reach the bottom to grow the vegetation.

The freshwater lake is also a key component of South Florida's water supply and flood control systems, providing drinking water for surrounding communities and serving as a source of irrigation for a $1.5 billion-a-year agricultural industry, according to U.S Army Corps of Engineers. The lake also serves as a source of water for navigation, recreation and for estuaries.

Before it was contained by the Herbert Hoover Dike, the lake would periodically overflow, and the freshwater would gently move south into the Everglades, creating one of the most diverse and important ecosystems in the world, according to Florida Oceanographic Society.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulates and reports the official daily water levels of Lake Okeechobee, according to South Florida Water Management District.

Plants clean the water and provide a place for bugs to live, which are then eaten by the fish, which are food for bigger fish and birds.

“Right now, you can go out there and see remarkably clear water and beautiful submerged aquatic vegetation growing and that is an immediate affect of the recovery,” said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Regional Director for the Southern Region Tom Reinert during a June 5 meeting. “That vegetation will allow baby fish to hide and grow and then our fishermen can go out and catch them.”

Fishing guide Captain Bo White at Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s Marina in Clewiston said the lake has been healing since last year as water levels dropped.

“The fishing has been excellent. The fish didn’t leave when the lake got dirty, they just found other places to go where you aren’t used to seeing them,” White said. “The longer that water stays lower, it stays cleaner. The lake is definitely on a rebound.”