Freshwater fishing retail sales in the five counties surrounding Lake O (Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, Hendry and Glades) were estimated at more than $117 million during 2000. Total phosphorus loading into Lake Okeechobee is approximately 600 metric tons per year. West Palm Beach, FL 33406, Ecosystem Restoration - Projects and Programs, Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project, Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program, South Miami-Dade Water Issues Coordination Initiative, Real-Time Data (water conditions, status of gates), Lake Okeechobee Water Level History and Projected Stages [PDF], Lake Okeechobee Stage-Area-Capacity (LOSAC), Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Technical Summaries, North Shore Lake Okeechobee Navigation Lock Operation Criteria [PDF], Army Corps of Engineers Lake Okeechobee Report, Army Corps of Engineers Lake Okeechobee Website, Lake Okeechobee Protection Plan Update – March 2014 [PDF], Water Quality Improvement/Stormwater Treatment Areas, Role of Lake Okeechobee in the Greater Everglades ecosystem [PDF], Impacts of excessive phosphorus entering the lake, Impacts of extreme high and low water levels. Without the lake, the area is approximately 2.4 million acres, or 3700 square miles. Help secure the future for birds at risk from climate change, habitat loss and other threats. The Seminole warriors were resisting forced relocation to a reservation in Oklahoma. According to Florida Sea Grant, nitrogen is now the limiting factor for cyanobacterial blooms on Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee provides natural habitat for fish, wading birds and other wildlife, and it supplies essential water for people, farms and the environment. Our mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. Bringing Lake Okeechobee back to full health is the key to a fully restored Greater Everglades Ecosystem with both water management and water quality playing integral roles. Sometimes referred to as Florida's inland sea, Lake Okeechobee is central to a region of Florida historically known for its agriculture, but in recent times also equated with superior fishing, boating and trails. Lake Okeechobee, despite being Florida's largest freshwater lake and covering an area of 730 square miles, has an … The review called Lake Okeechobee “a critical linchpin of the South Florida ecosystem.” Improving its water quality is important not only to the life within and near the lake, but also to ecosystems downstream and as an important part of water storage in restoration of the historic Everglades. A highly visible new case recently developed in Florida, where a particularly intense bloom of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) formed in Lake Okeechobee, the largest freshwater lake in the state. Lake Okeechobee is the second largest fresh water lake in the US. The Lake Okeechobee hurricane resulted to a storm that breached the 35-foot high dike that had been constructed around the lake to facilitate farming. Lake Okeechobee, located at approximately 27 o N latitude and 81 o W longitude (Fig. And, in 1938, Florida’s Governor and Cabinet designated two areas on Lake Okeechobee as Wildlife Sanctuaries and entrusted Audubon with their protection. In-lake projects include cause-effect experimental research, long-term observational studies, modeling, restoration feasibility studies, exotic vegetation control and actual habitat restoration. Please take action today. The Florida Legislature enacted the 2000 Lake Okeechobee Protection Act and the subsequent Lake Okeechobee Protection Program to restore the lake and its watershed. With very wet events like heavy rains and hurricanes, the lake often experiences rapid and uncontrolled rises in its water level. Lake Okeechobee has high amount of Phosphorus which poses danger to the fragile ecosystem. Okeechobee is far more important, however, than Lake Apopka. In the Audubon publication “Lake Okeechobee and the Northern Estuaries: The High Cost of High Water,” Dr. Paul Gray explained: “Lake Okeechobee is a paradise of biodiversity. Audubon experts believe the new plan must include new projects, significant funding, and a combination of regulation enforcement and landowner incentives. The lake is a vast expanse of water that is vital for the life around it. The majority of watershed projects concentrate on these priority basins. Lake Okeechobee Protection Plan Update – March 2014 [PDF] 2. This will reduce harmful releases of Lake Okeechobee water to Florida’s coasts and send the water to the Everglades and Florida Bay where it’s desperately needed. Science 8. A vast area drains into Lake Okeechobee, where water laden with phosphorus has fertilized the growth of horrific algae blooms that have been discharged to the ocean. A farmer south of the lake can explain why it is important as a source of irrigation water. This spurred the second highest phosphorus inflow on record and spawned the disastrous 2018 cyanobacteria blooms that left blue-green algae on Florida’s east and west coast beaches. An Everglades ecologist can explain why Lake Okeechobee's water is needed to help the "River of Grass." The lake provides flood protection and attracts boating and recreation enthusiasts from around the world. Why Does Lake Okeechobee Have Discharges? Each worked as a computer engineer and at the time of the incident were working on “an important product for a big client”. Neither the black nor the white neighborhoods were spared by the storm, with the floods sweeping over 2,000 … Lake Okeechobee is one of the great natural resources of our nation. Located in South Florida, they are a vital and sensitive ecosystem. Work in the muck is very dirty. Though both the … Watershed projects occurring within the Lake Okeechobee watershed management area focus on reducing phosphorus flowing into the lake at the parcel, sub-basin or regional scale. Those nutrients feed blue … Lake Okeechobee, despite being Florida's largest freshwater lake and covering an area of 730 square miles, has an … It is designed to restore and protect the lake by improving water quality and implementing long-term solutions through a variety of specific components. WHY: Okeechobee County is committed to ensuring the safety of its citizens, and we are asking residents to monitor the weather and stay alert for any possible changes. The idea of the C-43 Reservoir is to both reduce the amount of water released from Lake Okeechobee that makes it to the estuary during the wet season and to store water to be released during dry season in order to help maintain an ideal salinity in the upper estuary. Recreation The parcel, sub-basin, and regional treatment levels are directly linked, and all relate to the goal of rehabilitating the tributary and lake ecosystem. The types of watershed projects include cause-effect experimental research, observational studies, modeling, and feasibility and assessment studies. It is the greatest provider of drinking water for south Florida, averaging 13-19 feet in depth. Now scientists and policy experts, not wardens, continue Audubon’s fight to protect the liquid heart of America’s Everglades. Learn how you can become a citizen scientist or a volunteer at one of our nature centers today. Lake Okeechobee restoration efforts are underway. All of this work directly supports the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and/or the Lake Okeechobee Protection Program. According to Florida Sea Grant, nitrogen is now the limiting factor for cyanobacterial blooms on Lake Okeechobee. The current lake management keeps the lake too deep, too often- hurting both Okeechobee and the estuaries. The pond apple tree is recognized as an important nesting habitat for wading birds and a trellis for the Okeechobee gourd, which is now protected as an endangered species by federal law. So it doesn’t overflow. Peaceful, beautiful and plenty of wildlife This is a special place and makes such a change from the tourist commercialism of the east and west coasts. Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD) is a 143-mile earthen dam that surrounds Lake Okeechobee, the heart of … There was also some bad news with the report on flooding south of the lake. Lake Okeechobee is used for various purposes. Following their arrival, each would “fix a drink” and position themselves on the north shore of the lake. The healthy lake had so much birdlife that Audubon funded armed wardens beginning in 1936 to protect its iconic wading birds. Lake Okeechobee. 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