Lake Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee is a large, shallow freshwater lake in southern Florida. It is the central reservoir of the Kissimmee–Okeechobee–Everglades watershed.

Herbert Hoover Dike: A levee system encircling Lake Okeechobee to reduce flooding in surrounding communities. The dike controls lake releases and constrains how high the lake can safely rise.
Lake Okeechobee discharges: Managed releases of water from Lake Okeechobee into canals and downstream waterways. Large releases can bring excess freshwater and nutrients to coastal estuaries.
Lake Okeechobee Basin: The drainage area that supplies water to Lake Okeechobee and its connected waterways. Rainfall and rivers across this basin determine much of the lake’s inflow.
Okeechobee Waterway: A navigable waterway crossing Florida between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico via Lake Okeechobee. The lake forms the waterway’s central link across the peninsula.
Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ rules for managing Lake Okeechobee’s water levels and releases. This operating plan determines when water leaves the lake and in what quantities.
Caloosahatchee Estuary: An estuary where the Caloosahatchee River meets the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida. Lake water released westward can disrupt the estuary’s salinity balance.
Kissimmee River basin: The watershed of the Kissimmee River, extending through central Florida toward Lake Okeechobee. Its rivers and lakes form the principal upstream system feeding Okeechobee.
Lake Okeechobee Marsh: A broad littoral wetland around Lake Okeechobee, supporting plants, fish, and wading birds. The marsh is the lake’s shallow-water habitat, vulnerable to changing water levels.
Kissimmee River: A river in central Florida that flows south into Lake Okeechobee. The river carries much of the lake’s inflow from the Kissimmee basin.
St. Lucie Estuary: A coastal estuary on Florida’s Atlantic side, connected to Lake Okeechobee by canals. Eastward lake releases can affect its salinity, habitats, and water quality.

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Marjory Stoneman DouglasRelated: The lake’s water and surrounding management are integral to the Everglades system she described.