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No Lake Okeechobee discharges to be released to Treasure Coast ahead of weekend downpour


No Lake Okeechobee discharges to be released to Treasure Coast ahead of weekend downpour. (WPEC)
No Lake Okeechobee discharges to be released to Treasure Coast ahead of weekend downpour. (WPEC)
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A storm, which is expected to develop into a Tropical Depression or Tropical Storm Humberto later in the day, could bring the water levels up in Lake Okeechobee.

Despite the forecast, the Army Corps of Engineers announced it will not conduct any releases from 'Lake O' to the Treasure Coast or west estuaries this week.

"The Corps continues to monitor lake levels and weather forecasts and will make release decisions based on conditions throughout the system," according to a statement released by the Corps. "September is the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, and Lake Okeechobee water levels can rise rapidly."

Today’s lake level is 13.87 feet, which is 1.38 feet higher than 30 days ago and 0.84 feet lower than the same day last year.

The Corps has not made targeted regulatory releases from the lake since July 12 but has been managing local basin runoff and canal levels.

In a statement to CBS12 News, Congressman Brian Mast had this to say, “The Army Corps’ ability to move and store water south, avoiding harmful discharges to the east and west, is not a coincidence. Our efforts to lower Lake Okeechobee this year prior to hurricane season are working and serve as proof that real operational change is possible moving forward.”

The Corps also allowed a brief, 10-day release of 200 cfs from Moore Haven Lock and Dam to support an algae research project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center.

Reports from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection indicate cyanobacteria in two algae samples from the lake in the last seven days. Corps lock operators have also reported visible signs of algae in the lake near Port Mayaca over the past week. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports a bloom covering approximately 20 percent of the lake in its most recent satellite imagery although the agency also reports that the bloom potential having decreased.

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