SFWMD ALLOWS ‘BACK FLOW’ INTO LAKE OKEECHOBEE

A month after rejecting requests from the South Florida agriculture industry to allow back-pumping into Lake Okeechobee, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board said Sept. 13 it would allow water from surrounding farms to flow into the lake through a process called ‘back flow.’ The process, a normal water management operation, involves opening drainage gates to let gravity carry a limited amount of water into the lake. The board also said it would endorse moving water from the northern Everglades water conservation area when it is available and the installation of temporary pumps that would redirect water flow to help boost lake levels. SFWMD also confirmed earlier in the week that agricultural operations achieved an 18-percent reduction in the amount of phosphorus leaving the Everglades Agricultural Area for the 2007 water year.

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