Lake O Releases Being Sent to Caloosahatchee to Avoid Wet Season Problems

More water from Lake Okeechobee is scheduled to be sent to the Caloosahatchee River, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to increase water releases now to potentially avoid the need for too many releases during the wet season.

It’s a decision a water expert in Southwest Florida calls a gamble.

“It really is a delicate balance,” said Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani. “Will the little extra releases be enough to fuel the red tide? Will it get the lake low enough before the wet season to avoid those late-season high-volume discharges?”

That’s what the Corps hopes for, as the lake is still high for this time of year. While the lake could drop on its own, it wouldn’t recede as much as necessary.