After being in a drought? yeah that's what they said. For the last two years. Fay restored Lake Okeechobee to it's normal level. Now the South Florida Water District says they're going to release the water in the Lake "just in case Hanna hits here".
Army Corps of Engineers to start releasing water from Lake Okeechobee
By Andy Reid | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
4:02 PM EDT, September 3, 2008
The Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will start releasing water Thursday morning from Lake Okeechobee to ease the strain on the aging dike that protects South Florida from flooding.
The once drought-strained lake that just a couple weeks ago was three feet below normal received a record-breaking boost from Tropical Storm Fay.
With lake levels just above normal today, at 14.68 feet above sea level, the corps plans to start dumping water through the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and out to the sea tomorrow.
The corps' proposed 11 days of releases would dump enough water into the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean to fill an average of almost 6,000 Olympic-size swimming pools per day.
These are considered low level releases intended to counterbalance the remaining runoff from Fay that continues to drain into the lake.
"The lake will continue to rise… but we will able to take the top off of it and slow the rise," said Stephen Duba, chief of the corps' engineering division.
Relieving pressure on the lake's 70-year-old, earthen dike flushes away water that could be needed for times of drought. It also threatens to throw off the delicate mix of salt and fresh water in coastal estuaries, which can lead to fish kills and other environmental damage.
Manipulating water levels in anticipation of storms has gotten water managers in trouble before. In 2006, the corps lowered the lake in anticipation of a busy hurricane season, but instead got two years of drought. Low lake levels led to watering restrictions that remain in place.
The releases will be evaluated each day and could be adjusted based on storm forecasts, according to the corps.
"We are still not at the peak of hurricane season," warned John Zebiak, chief of water management for the corps in Florida.
Excuse my language but this is pure bullshit!
We were in a drought and Fay restored the lake to the normal level. So these idiots decide lets get rid of the water so we can keep charging these outrageous prices for water. See, the thing is they keep on raising the prices of water here. Even charging you a ridiculous fee if they think you've used to much for the month. PURE BULLSHIT!
Please write these bastards and tell them to stop releasing the water!
here's the address and e-mail of the Inspector General
South Florida Water Management District
Office of Inspector General
3301 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, Florida 33498
jwwillia@sfwmd.gov
