Florida in trouble due to lack of tropical activity

[jlauderdal]

Because their hasn't been a tropical depression or storm that came across South Florida the Lake O level hasn't responded to what we should have seen by now.The normal lake level is 15ft, its currently 10ft. We are going into are dry season now until the end of May. At the beginning of the rainy season the lake was at an all time low of 8.91 ft. Unless we can get a tropical system out of the western Caribbean we will have water restriction of phase 4 or worse. They talked about Lake O on channel 10 last night and fci made a point and I know he was joking that well only be able to shower once or twice a week. I hope it doesn't come down to that point. I am -removed- a depression or storm up here now.

first of all there isnt anything called a phase 4. second of all there is way to much water being wasted so like other parts of florida i hope year round restrictions are put in place. there is no need to water lawns three times a week or put water on the table at restaurants even though people dont drink it, you get the point, lack of tropical activity isnt the problem, south floridians are.

[jinftl]

Bottom line is year to date most of Florida is well below normal in rainfall...especially the panhandle and around the Lake...most of Broward even is below normal year to date (except extreme southern Broward).

Officials lowering Lake Okechobee on top of the lack of normal rain is ominous.

[xraymike1]

Lake O is lowered every year before hurricane season since I can remember (40yrs). Anyone remember the controversy over the fresh water flow in the St. Lucie waterway!!! The problem is that with out any tropical activity north of the lake, nothing is flowing in. The Army Corp of Engineers want to keep it low to lessen the chance of the dike collapsing. Not as low as it is but at least a foot or two below normal. Right now you can do everthing with water except irrigation. That is the only limit. Any one remember the drought 69-70 I think, Headline in the Palm Beach Post "Not enough fresh water in South Florida", the story went on to say that there wasn't enough fresh water to support the planned growth of South Florida then. And boy how the population has grown11111111

[jeffl]

Because their hasn't been a tropical depression or storm that came across South Florida the Lake O level hasn't responded to what we should have seen by now.The normal lake level is 15ft, its currently 10ft. We are going into are dry season now until the end of May. At the beginning of the rainy season the lake was at an all time low of 8.91 ft. Unless we can get a tropical system out of the western Caribbean we will have water restriction of phase 4 or worse. They talked about Lake O on channel 10 last night and fci made a point and I know he was joking that well only be able to shower once or twice a week. I hope it doesn't come down to that point. I am -removed- a depression or storm up here now.

first of all there isnt anything called a phase 4. second of all there is way to much water being wasted so like other parts of florida i hope year round restrictions are put in place. there is no need to water lawns three times a week or put water on the table at restaurants even though people dont drink it, you get the point, lack of tropical activity isnt the problem, south floridians are.

There is a Phase IV restriction. The text of Phase IV - Critical begins on page 32. Let's hope we don't get to this.

https://my.sfwmd.gov/pls/portal/docs/PA ... 40E-21.PDF

[fci]

Thank you for clearing up the existence of Phase IV and providing the link.

[Sanibel]

Maybe Florida will get lucky and have a rainy winter.

[Frank2]

What Derek said - the Lake would have been fine if some (I don't know who) hadn't scared those at the SFWMD to lower the lake level by 3 or 4 feet, by telling them, essentially:

"The 2006 hurricane season is going to be as bad as 2005! If you don't lower the lake now, the levee will fail during a Category 5 hurricane, and there will be another Katrina disaster!"

so, armed with the voice of discouragement and irrational fear, the Board decided to immediately lower the Lake early last Summer - and it has not recovered since - possibly due to the fact that the forecast onslaught of hurricanes never materialized...

We should all learn from this, when it comes to listening to any advice in life that is based on irrational fear...

[Sanibel]

To be fair to them Frank 2, they did have high SST's in 2006. Good argument for roof cisterns.

[Frank2]

I'm a little confused (or more than per usual) by what you said - still, in the past they only lowered the Lake by a reasonable 1 or 2 feet, if something was actually forecast to head this way.

I'd still have to say that the Katrina disaster put fear into them, then, someone (again, I don't know who - I'm tempted to say that JB fella) presented them with all sorts of dire scenairos of the same thing happening here, which lead the Board to approve the release of so much water - really, from my memory, they never did anything like that before, and, it was not at all necessary.

Now, we are paying for their lack of wisdom...

[x-y-no]

There is a Phase IV restriction. The text of Phase IV - Critical begins on page 32. Let's hope we don't get to this.

https://my.sfwmd.gov/pls/portal/docs/PA ... 40E-21.PDF

Thank you! I was hunting through the SFWMD site for that without any success.


One thing that caught my eye from the Phase 3 restrictions:

"2. Fire hydrant flushing shall be undertaken only on an emergency basis."

Hollywood was flushing fire hydrants a couple of nights ago and I was wondering if that were really allowed under the current restriction level. Seems it's not, unless there was some "emergency" - whatever that means in this context.

[Derek Ortt]

I am not even sure if lowering the lake level works in a cane. The levee was nearly BREACHED during Wilma (after being lowered). A slightly stronger system likely would have caused a breach of the levee

Just don't build right on the Lake. Did we not learn that at least from 1928?

[DanKellFla]

The Army Corps of Engineers also state that the water levels are kept low because they are concerned about the strength of the levees.

[eaglegirl]

...I'd still have to say that the Katrina disaster put fear into them...

I think you are right about that.

I recall watching a very interesting and informative program on a cable channel (Discovery?? Learning Channel??) about that very subject. At the time, I was quite impressed by how complicated the SWFMD water management is in regards to Lake Okeechobee.

Per Friday's Status Briefing, Lake Okeechobee Level is -10.15.

[Rieyeuxs]

If you want to see dry, head a little farther north. Here in central Alabama, we are already in a critical situiation. You can't buy water from another town. Wells are drying up. Lawns and trees have already died. We've not been able to water since May. The not so funny thing is that the NWS has forecasted average rains in the long term (1-2 month forecasts) since April. We've not had a drop here in 2 months. Whatever shut off the tropics has hurt more than you think. While hurricanes may show an area of devastation, this drought has done more than a Catagory 2 damage to a large area when you compare hay, chicken, soybean, corn, cotton, peaches, and even non-farming businesses that depend on rain.

[Guadua]

.....

[Derek Ortt]

making the lake a tourist wonderland... that is one of the stupidest ideas I have ever heard.

The foolish man builds his house upon the sand (or the shores of a Lake that is more surge prone than the west coast of Florida)

[Category 5]

making the lake a tourist wonderland... that is one of the stupidest ideas I have ever heard.

The foolish man builds his house upon the sand (or the shores of a Lake that is more surge prone than the west coast of Florida)

I agree. Didn't they learn ANYTHING from 1928?

[LJR]

Bottom line is year to date most of Florida is well below normal in rainfall...especially the panhandle

Our local news said that Pensacola is 23 inches below the normal rainfall!!

[Frank2]

I try to keep up with local events around the Lake, and, from what I've been hearing on the local radio station (Belle Glade), there has been increasing interest in development of the Lake Okeechobee agricultural area from West Palm Beach (to the east) and Fort Myers and LaBelle (to the west), and, the Lake towns that are in desparate need of improvement, are trying to become a part of this movement.

Also, US Sugar has begun to parcel out various portions of their extensive growing area (Pahokee is a good example) for possible development in some way (not necessarily for residential), so, changes are coming to the Lake towns, especially Clewiston, Pahokee and Okeechobee...

South Bay and Belle Glade, on the other hand (especially South Bay), are likely going to have to wait for any significant economic benefits of the change from agriculture to development...

I agree that it doesn't make sense to develop areas that are prone to flooding if the levee fails, but, that has been the mentality since New Orleans was established below sea level (and Los Angeles and San Francisco were built on a fault line), so, I don't expect that this is going to change over something "as minor" as the agricultural areas around Lake Okeechobee...

Personally, I'd prefer agriculture to houses in a second, but, greed is greed, unfortunately - perhaps some developers as adults still believe that children's story of eating gingerbread houses (I've not had the desire to bite into a shutter lately)...

As I like to say, "Blame it on the top hats" (those wealthy land barrons of the 1700 and 1800's, who often seemed to have more pride that common sense when it came to where and how to build)...

[Pigsnibble]

As a former hydrologist in Broward County, I am quite sure SFWMD is managing the lake levels as best they can, both from a flood threat and water supply threat. As unpleasant as it may seem, hurricane season ends just before the dry season, so its always a close call on dumping water or keeping it.

Keep in mind that dumping water from Lake O takes some time. If a hurricane threat approaches, not only do they have to drop the Lake in many cases, they also have to drop the surrounding conservation areas (which have levees too) which use the same canals that Lake O do. So its not an easy call to make regardless.