West Palm Beach, FL - The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) today released its latest video update to inform the public of the latest efforts to alleviate the high water emergency caused by record rainfall throughout South Florida.
The video update can be seen by clicking
HERE or visiting the SFWMD website dedicated to the high water emergency situation,
www.sfwmd.gov/managinghighwater. This website contains the latest operation information, as well as weekly video updates, where SFWMD Chief Engineer John Mitnik explains current water conditions as well as the actions taken to lower lake levels and move more water south through the conservation areas.
The record rainfall in May caused Lake Okeechobee to rise more than a foot, which led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to begin releases from the lake on June 1 to the northern estuaries. At the same time, this record rainfall inundated the water conservation areas, causing them to rise above their regulation schedules.
SFWMD is taking every action within its authority to lower water levels, including storing water on public and private lands, utilizing every available structure and installing temporary pumps to move water.
SFWMD has installed several temporary pumps to increase the amount of water that can be moved out of the water conservation areas, creating capacity to take water from Lake Okeechobee. This week, USACE officials also agreed to raise the water levels in the L-29 Canal in Miami-Dade County, a measure requested by SFWMD that will significantly increase the amount of water that can be moved south out of Water Conservation Area 3A.
