Lake Okeechobee Conditions Report April 28, 2009:

According to the USACE web site, Lake Okeechobee stage is 11.29' 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 2.40' below the historical average for this date and 1.19’ below the simulated average using the current regulation schedule (LORS2008).  Total reported inflows are 165 cfs and are limited to flows through S65E. No inflow data are reported for S129, S133 and Fisheating Creek.  Total reported outflows are 2867 cfs and include releases to the Caloosahatchee River (274 cfs), water-supply releases through the S351, S352 and S354 (2288 cfs) and flow (579 cfs) through the S308.  No outflow data were reported for the S77, but a pulse-flow release to the Caloosahatchee began today.

An apple snail mark-recapture experiment is being conducted on the lake to assist in the development of methods for large-scale snail stock enhancements.  Last Wednesday, Okeechobee Division staff tagged 1500 adult apple snails obtained from the District-funded snail-rearing facility at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.  The following day, the snails were released in Eagle Bay marsh (outside the dike) across a 55m x 55m area.  All but 10 snails survived tagging and transport to the lake. Sampling will be conducted at the release site every few days for the next month using standardized recapture methods to estimate survival and dispersal of juvenile and adult apple snails and reproduction.  Information gained from this study will provide valuable information on the acclimation, survival, and reproductive output of laboratory reared snails released into the wild that will be used to optimize protocols for future releases.

 


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