Photo was taken by Jody Hicks on Lake Okeechobee’s Moonshine Bay on August 30th
Lake stage has been changing so quickly I sort of forgot, or missed, or didn’t get a post out on time for the 14 ft milestone.
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Now the Lake has risen above 15 ft.
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And it got there in record breaking fashion: it was only a month ago — practically to the day — that the Lake broke back above the 11 ft mark after spending a record-breaking 511 consectutive days below it.
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The 11 ft mark roughly equates with the bottom of the littoral zone.
Now that the Lake is above 15 ft, that officially puts the water line at the top of the littoral zone.
In airboat terms, that means its wetlands are flooded, and runnable.
In water management terms, that means that water is lapping up against the base of the levee. Precautionary water releases are underway through the S77 and S308.
Curtis Morgan from the Miami Herald has written a really illuminating and timely article: “Lake Okeechobee Roller Coaster Levels Explained,” that is a must read for any Lake enthusiast, in the event you haven’t seen it already.
