As many Floridians continue to recover from the historic impacts of Hurricane Ian, crews at the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) are working around the clock to reduce regional lake levels in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes system and provide relief to impacted communities.
Did you know the SFWMD continues to strategically deploy resources and utilize every structure possible to lower water body levels and move water away from communities?
The District is working in partnership with our local, state and federal partners to keep water moving through the interconnected system of lakes and balance the flow of water in Central Florida. Our field crews will not stop working until flooding conditions are alleviated in the region.
The District’s ongoing actions to reduce levels in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes include:
- Continuing to work in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Osceola County, Orange County, City of Kissimmee and City of St. Cloud to reduce flows of water into the regional lake system and provide relief to impacted communities.
- Deploying additional high-volume pumps at strategic locations and many more pumps are being staged and getting ready for operation.
- Using water control structures and other navigational locks at full capacity to move water away from communities.
- Keeping the SFWMD's Emergency Operations Center at Level 1, Full Activation
All lakes in the Upper Kissimmee Chain of Lakes are receding from their peak condition. This means that District operations will move water out of those lake systems and lower lake levels. Residents are reminded to avoid floodwaters, use caution when navigating waterways, avoid creating wakes near homes, and pay attention to their local Emergency Operations Center.