LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- Fox 4 is In Your Corner when it comes to water quality. So we want you to know the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is sending more Lake Okeechobee water our way.
The increased water releases started on Saturday and will continue until further notice.
The Corps has set an average flow rate of 800 cubic feet per second into the Caloosahatchee estuary, measured at Franklin Lock and Dam. That’s up from the 600 cfs set earlier this month.
The current flow rates are well below some of the recent amounts, which have been as high as 6,500 cfs.
Those Lake Okeechobee water releases have led to algae blooms in the past, but we haven't seen any widespread blooms so far this year.
Flows to the St. Lucie estuary remain at zero cfs as measured at the St. Lucie Lock and Dam
Right now, the lake stands at just over 11 feet. It's a big difference from last year, where the lake was nearly 13 and a half feet.
