Lake Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee, Florida's largest lake, is connected to the state's Southwest and Southeast coasts via the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers. These connections were artificially created over 100 years ago in attempts provide a navigable boating route and to enable water management for flood control and agriculture.

Image from the 2012-17 Everglades ecohealth report card.

Today, this large water system is carefully controlled by a series of dams, dikes, and other control structures managed by state and federal entities. When Lake Okeechobee levels are deemed too high, posing a flood risk to surrounding communities, the excess water is sent to the coasts.

Too Little Flow

During the dry season, the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary requires minimal freshwater flows from Lake Okeechobee, as it’s not receiving freshwater from its only other source — rainfall and subsequent runoff from the watershed.

Minimal freshwater flows ensure that salinity in the estuary doesn't rise too high, which can harm important species like oysters and seagrass that depend on a certain saltwater-freshwater ratio. When we fail to receive at least 750 cubic feet per second (cfs) of lake water in the dry season, our estuary suffers.

Too Much Flow

During rainy season, which runs mid-May to mid-October, water managers send bigger, more frequent lake releases to the coasts as lake levels rise over the season.

The problem is that the Caloosahatchee already receives a lot of freshwater during these months from precipitation and subsequent watershed runoff, which over time can negatively impact our water quality due to excess nutrients from fertilizers, chemicals, pet waste, insecticides, and other pollutants. When Lake Okeechobee releases enter the equation as well — carrying their own suite of pollutants and in faster, higher volumes — it can further damage the already stressed estuary an spur harmful algal blooms (HABs), including red tide.

A Storage Solution: The C-43 Reservoir

The C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir is a critical project to store water and maintain healthy flows to the Caloosahatchee.
A part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, the C-43 Reservoir will hold 55 billion gallons of water at a maximum depth of 25 feet.
This reservoir will help us store excess water in the wet season for later release during the dry season when it’s needed.
Sitting at 18 square miles, the C-43 Reservoir is bigger than Sanibel Island and is almost half the size of Walt Disney World!

Preserving Paradise EAA, STA, C43 Reservoir Tours 2

The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir

The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir will store, clean, and send excess nutrient-rich water south from Lake Okeechobee into the Everglades and Florida Bay.
A part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, the EAA Reservoir is expected to decrease nutrient-rich discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the coasts by 63%, rehydrate the Everglades, and balance salinity in the Florida Bay.
The EAA Reservoir and associated stormwater treatment area (STA) encompass a combined 16,600 acres.
Its estimated completion date is currently 2030.