Apr 6, 2008 7:12 pm US/Eastern
Wet "Dry Season" Has Pumped Up "Lake O"
PALM BEACH COUNTY (CBS4) ―
A wetter than expected dry season has pumped up the water level in Lake Okeechobee.
On Saturday, water managers found that that lake's level was about 10.34 feet above sea level.
While it's not enough to lift our current modified Phase III water restrictions, water managers were encouraged because the lake's level was higher than it was last year (10.27) at this time. While it may not seem like a lot, water managers say it's big improvement since two months ago, the water level was about a foot and half below where it was last year.
Two years of drought coupled with some controversial releases of water ordered by state and federal managers have left the lake at nearly four feet below its normal levels. Last year the lake hit an all time low of 8.82 feet on July 2.
Water managers said this year's increase can be chalked up to some basic math, supply is up – demand is down.
Lake Okeechobee, and the Kissimmee River basin to the north which helps recharge it, have received have 7 to 8 inches of rain since January.
To the south, the Everglades Agricultural Area has not had to tap into the lake's supply, surviving solely on rainfall.
South Florida is still a long way, however, from making up the nearly 25-inch rainfall deficit we've accumulated over the last two years.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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