Lake Okeechobee hits record low

Lake Okeechobee hits record low

	Published : Thu, 31 May 2007 21:43 By : Agencies Print this Story

MIAMI (AP) - Residents, firefighters and water managers are all wishing for rain as Lake Okeechobee's water levels dropped to a record low Thursday, the result of a drought that has shrunk the main backup water supply for 5 million South Florida residents.

The South Florida Water Management District reported a record low of 8.94 feet, surpassing the mark of 8.97 feet set during a 2001 drought and tied Wednesday. Meanwhile, a fire burning part of the parched lake bed grew as firefighters took on the blaze amid windy conditions.

The region's drought is leading water managers to assess how to best protect drinking water supplies, meet needs of the important agriculture industry and protect natural resources. The average water level should be around 13 feet this time of year in the second-largest freshwater lake in the contiguous United States.

'There is no joy over this record-breaking event,' said Carol Ann Wehle, the district's executive director. Record keeping on the lake's levels began in 1931.

Lake Okeechobee is also the liquid heart of the Everglades. South Florida is largely dependent on the 730-square-mile lake during dry periods, when it can be used as a reservoir if water wells from underground aquifers get too low.

Rainfall directly over the lake has been low enough to qualify this drought as a one-in-100-year event, the district said. Just 40 inches of rain have fallen on the region in the past 18 months, about half the average amount, water managers said.

The area around the lake could get up to 1 1/2 inches of rain in the next two or three days, the National Weather Service in Miami said.

The dry conditions have exposed vegetation that normally sits on the lake bottom. A fire that started Monday in the lake's northwest rim has burned 39 square miles, but no structures were in danger, Division of Forestry spokesman Patrick Mahoney said.

The fire was 75 percent contained, and a voluntary evacuation for a mobile home park was called off. Smoke from the fire was wafting toward Charlotte and Sarasota counties, Mahoney said.

The drought has forced stringent water restrictions on homes and businesses in 13 counties, with many lawns turning green to brown and municipalities threatening fines for violators. Four coastal wells were closed to prevent saltwater contamination.