What is the source of water for the Everglades?

What is the source of water for the Everglades?

The Everglades gets a lot of its water from rainfall (somewhere around 60 inches per year on average). When it starts raining over south Florida, it rains everywhere including on our largest lake, Lake Okeechobee. This is the start of the most indirect way for water to flow into the Everglades.

What bodies of water feed the Everglades?

The Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico marine areas and estuarine areas, where salt water and fresh water meet and mix, serve as breeding and spawning grounds for crustaceans, fish, and other species that comprise the Everglades food chain .

What lakes and river systems feed the Florida Everglades?

• Everglades.
• Kissimmee River.
• Lake Okeechobee.
• Coastal Watersheds.
• Florida Bay.

Can you drink water in the Everglades?

Meaning more than 7.7 million people depend on the Everglades for drinking water. The South Florida Water Management District currently allows discharges of water into the Everglades that contains 9 times more phosphorus than allowed under the Clean Water Act.

Are there alligators on Lake Okeechobee?

With an estimated population of 12,925 gators, Jesup ranks second to mammoth Lake Okeechobee (28,106) for the number of alligators in a state lake. But while Okeechobee has more than twice the number of gators as Jesup, it’s also 28 times larger.

What is wrong with Lake Okeechobee?

Lake Okeechobee is often referred to as the “liquid heart” of Florida. Unfortunately, over the years, the Lake has become heavily polluted by run-off from agriculture and development in Central & South Florida. In the wet season, massive amounts of nutrient polluted water is now being sent to the Caloosahatchee River.

How deep is Lake Okeechobee right now?

9 feet

Are they still releasing water from Lake Okeechobee?

STUART, Fla. — There are no plans to release Lake Okeechobee water to the St. Lucie Estuary any time soon. That was the message Friday during the Army Corps of Engineers’ weekly update.

Why is Lake Okeechobee releasing water?

The reservoir will take excess water during rainy times, store the water and then release it back to the river in order to keep salinity levels in a healthy range during the dry season.

Is Lake Okeechobee toxic?

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. According to the most recent water samples taken this week by Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the current algae on the lake contains 120 parts per billion of the toxin microsystin, making the lake water too hazardous to touch, ingest or inhale.

What are some ways to decrease the release of water from Lake Okeechobee?

Urge the Army Corps to lower the lake in the dry season to create capacity on the lake for rainfall in the rainy season. 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.

What happens if Lake Okeechobee dike breaks?

But at high water levels, the dike remains a high-risk hazard for potentially devastating flooding. A major failure could send torrents through lakeside towns and muddy water to the suburban outskirts of Palm Beach County.

What is the water level on Lake Okeechobee?

The lake level currently stands at 13.74 feet, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.