Billions of Gallons of South Florida Water Supply Dumped out to Sea

The Herbert Hoover Dike is considered an at-risk barrier to contain stormwater surge in Lake Okeechobee, the largest freshwater lake in the state. Following deadly hurricanes in 1926 and 1928, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers began constructing the dike.
Photo: U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Jacksonville District.

Tropical Storm Isaac caused a lot of flood damage in LaPlace, La., about 25 miles northwest of New Orleans, and in Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans. However, in South Florida, Lake Okeechobee, which is the backup water supply for South Florida, rose 14.9 feet above sea level, that'?N????e??os four feet higher than this time last year.

With the water so high in Okeechobee, the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) began considering dumping some lake water. The fear is two fold: The dike is 75-year-old and considered one of the country's most at-risk dikes. The high water level could strain the dike; the larger concern, however, is fear of another hurricane or tropical storm sweeping through in the near future with a storm surge that could breach the dike.

Dumping billions of gallons of water of course is colossally wasteful, as the backup supply is useful during the dryer winter and spring seasons in South Florida. This points to the larger issue in South Florida: "We just don't have the capacity to store the water that we need,'?N????e?? says Tom Van Lent, a scientist with the Everglades Foundation. '?N????e??We need to build more infrastructure.'?N????e??

Beginning Sept. 19, the ACE began releasing water from the lake into the Caloosahatchee River and St. Lucie Estuary. Since then, billions of gallons of water have been washed out to sea. Water managers are now looking north for more water storage space to backup the South Florida water supply.