SFWMD Continues to Store Water Headed to Lake Okeechobee

Water levels across South Florida are at or near their target levels for this time of year, although heavy rainfall in early October caused localized flooding along both coasts. The Everglades Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3 and Lake Okeechobee remain high following an above-average start to the wet season.

The South Florida Water Management District is continuing to operate the regional water management system to maximize flood control during the peak of hurricane season while also taking action to capture and store water in an effort to reduce discharges to coastal estuaries. In addition to utilizing regional public projects to store excess water, the District is working with property owners to retain water on their land rather than drain it, to accept and detain regional runoff or do both. Holding water on these lands are near-term tools to help reduce the amount of water flowing into Lake Okeechobee and/or discharged to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries during the current high water conditions throughout South Florida.

For more information on this story, please visit our source site at: http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/sfwmdmain/home%20page