SAV slowly returning to Lake O
- Katrina Elsken Lake Okeechobee News
- Jul 3
- 2 min read
Slow lake rise critical to ecosystem health
CLEWISTON – Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is slowly coming back on Lake Okeechobee.
On July 1, Scott Martin of Anglers for Lake Okeechobee posted a video showing vegetation starting to grow on the sandy bottom near the lake shoreline at Clewiston.
“You have a couple different kinds of grass here,” he said. “Shrimp grass is a good grass for the bottom cover. It keeps the soil intact. It keeps everything from getting stirred up.”
He also pointed out areas where eel grass is sprouting.
“The lake needs to come up slow, to allow this to continue,” he said. “We talk about allowing the water to come in slowly.”
If the water comes in too quickly, it could drown out the new vegetation, he explained. If the water level rises faster than the plants can grow, the new vegetation will be lost.
“We have to keep our eyes on the water levels,” he said. “We can’t let it fill up fast. I am asking the Corps of Engineers, as we start to get this rain, let’s take it slow guys. As we get this rain, please let it fill up slowly. Please don’t let the lake flood out and kill the filter we have been working so hard for.’
The U.S. Corps of Engineers (USACE) managed lake releases during the 2024-2025 in “recovery” mode, with the goal of bringing the lake level down below 12 feet for 90 days or below 11.5 feet for 60 days. The lower water levels allow sunlight to reach the lake bottom, encouraging new SAV to sprout. The lake level dropped down below 12 feet on April 15 and below 11.5 feet on April 26. On July 2, the lake level was 11.2 feet.
Most of the water entering the lake is direct rainfall. According to the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) report released July 2, for the seven day period June 23-29, the lake received 126,370 acre feet of water in direct rainfall; 6,590 acre feet in inflow from the north; and, 1,650 acre feet in inflow from the C-44 canal. (When the lake level is below 14 feet, water backflows from the C-44 canal – aka the St. Lucie Canal.)
