Lake Okeechobee Conditions Report April 21, 2009:
According to the
USACE web site, Lake Okeechobee stage is
11.52' NGVD, which is 0.28' lower than a week ago, 0.83'lower than a month ago,
and 1.10' higher than it was a year ago. The current stage is 2.35' below
the historical average for this date and 1.12’ below the simulated
average using the current regulation schedule (LORS2008). Total reported
inflows are 64 cfs and are limited to flows
through S65E. No inflow data are reported for S129, S133 and Fisheating Creek. Total outflows are 2518 cfs and include releases to the Caloosahatchee River
(274 cfs), water-supply releases through the S351,
S352 and S354 (1727 cfs) and to the L8 at Canal Point
(23 cfs), and flow (494 cfs)
through the S308.
The
monthly submerged-aquatic-vegetation (SAV) survey was completed last
week. A total of 38 sites were sampled this month (24 in the north, 7 in
the west, 7 in the south) and plants were found at 22 of those sites (18 in the
north, 4 in the west, 0 in the south). Two sites were dry (1 in the north
and 1 in the west) and 1 site in the north was too shallow to sample. Last
month, 39 sites were visited and 21 had plants. In the north numerous
dense beds of Vallisneria, Hydrilla, and Ceratophyllum
were observed. The innermost sites in the south are still mostly dominated by cattail and spikerush
and too dense to sample effectively although attempts
to sample yielded no SAV. All of the sites along the western wall
have dense beds of topped out and reproductive Vallisneria
so fostering conditions that would allow the lake stage to remain above
10.5 ft. would be beneficial to continued SAV expansion.
Monthly
phytoplankton monitoring was performed at eight of the nine sites last week.
One site was too shallow to effectively sample. No blooms were detected at any
of the sites although green flecks were observed in the water column at two of
the northern sites (at the mouth of the Kissimmee
and around Taylor
Creek). Mean secchi depth was 0.62 m (compared to 0.42 m in March). Secchi depths of over 0.5 m were seen at all sites except
Pahokee, Clewiston and the mouth of the Kissimmee.
March microcystin levels were at or below the 0.2 ppb
detection limit at all sites.
This week,
scientists from the District and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute will be
tagging approximately 1,600 juvenile Florida
apple snails (Pomacea palludosa)
for release into a small marsh at the north end of Lake
Okeechobee. The snails, which are the sole food source for
the endangered Everglades Snail Kite (Rostrhamus
sociabilis), were reared in an aquaculture
facility at Harbor Branch from eggs collected in Lake Kissimmee. Once released,
the dispersal and survival of the snails will be monitored. This effort
is being done with the hopes of facilitating the re-establishment of this
critical species as the prolonged drought conditions during the past year have
resulted in the loss of apple snail populations across most of the littoral
zone of Lake Okeechobee.
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