Today is Ed and my 18th year anniversary. I don’t have a lot of time to go through Ed’s recent photos as we document the discharges so I am just going to post all -of the St Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon from February 8, 2023 taken around 1:23 pm. There are only subtle nuances between them. The ACOE started discharging 500 cfs from Lake Okeechobee on January 22, 2023. You can see the effects in these photographs. The water is able to clear near the St Lucie Inlet at this time. No seagrass in sight. Please see previous post to compare. I will write more soon. 
Is there a date for them to shut down discharge, or a height when they will stop?
Stopping discharges is based on lake level. They want it down by June 1st. No ideal but let’s say 13 feet or lower.
Blake Faulkner here. Jacqui, you likely already know how much water is flowing INTO Lake Okeechobee from Lake Kissimmee every day now via the Kissimmee River. It’s averaging about 1,350 cfs non-stop, as the water managers continue trying to lower the water level in Lake Kissimmee to match its regulatory schedule (red line). That makes it harder to get the water level in Lake Okeechobee to get lower, even with the ongoing Lake O. discharges to the east and west (but not south).
I don’t understand why Lake Kissimmee water level management takes priority over Lake Okeechobee water level management…plus the east and west (northern) estuaries. It makes no sense to me.
P.S. The seagrasses that we saw in recovery stage last summer & fall in the IRL near the St. Lucie Inlet are likely OK right now. It is a natural cycle for them to lose lots of their leaf blades in the winter when the light levels penetrating through the water decrease with shorter day lengths, plus the lower angle of the sun in the sky during the day in the winter. At some point in late winter-early spring, we will see the new flush of green growth in the seagrass habitat areas, as the rhizomes under the sand respond to increasing light levels that will support new vegetative growth.
The Kissimmee is being handled carefully and they just restored that 22 miles and made old flood plane. Filled in C-38. Many people built homes in the flood plane of all the lakes. I agree with you and I also think in the near future Lake O and northern storage will become a priority. Thanks for what you say about the sea grasses – really helps.
Thanks !
HAPPY 18th ANNIVERSARY!
❤️❤️❤️
Thanks Becky!!!
yesterday 02/13/23 I was at Venice beach inlet, I witnessed a few dead fish.the water wasn’t as clear as other days. the air was somewhat clean, but did find myself coughing a few times . When is this going to stop.Went fishing in Charlotte Harbor n0n 02/10/23 and we only caught 2 small sea trout.
A few years back we would have meet our limit by Noon. Very sad that our leaders are allowing this to happen.Johnny Serrrapice
Johnny are you talking about red tide? I have heard it is back on the west coast but I have not experienced.