Lake Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee is a large, shallow eutrophic lake located in subtropical
south central Florida and is a major feature of the
Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades (KOE) system. The KOE system is a continuous
hydrologic system extending from Central Florida south to Florida Bay. Lake
Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in Florida and the second largest
freshwater lake within the contiguous United States, covering approximately
730 square miles. Since 1992, the lake has had an average lake-wide depth of
nine feet. The lake has a maximum storage capacity of 1.05 trillion gallons
(at a depth of 19 feet). Lake Okeechobee is designated a Class I water that
provides drinking water for urban areas, irrigation water for agricultural
lands, recharge for aquifers, freshwater for the Everglades, habitat for fish
and waterfowl, flood control, navigation, and many recreational opportunities.
Water quality in the lake has degraded over time due to high phosphorus
loadings resulting from man-induced hydrologic and land use modifications over
the past 60 years. The total phosphorus concentrations that currently exist in
the lake are in excess of the amount needed for a healthy ecosystem. The
in-lake total phosphorus concentrations have doubled over the last 50 years as
a result of increased inputs from the watershed. The construction of canals
and structures, as part of the C&SF Project, facilitated the delivery of
stormwater runoff from intensive land uses that have developed in the
surrounding watershed. During the last five years, the average concentration
of total phosphorus in the pelagic region of Lake Okeechobee was approximately
100 ppb.
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For more information please contact
Frank Nearhoof of the
Water Quality Standards and Special Projects Program
at 850-245-8420.
Water Quality Standards and Special Projects Program
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road -
M.S. 3560
Tallahassee, FL 32399
850-245-8417
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