Lake Okeechobee

While the U.S. government shutdown has affected a wide variety of federal operations across the U.S. and Florida, there remains one aspect that isn't — Lake Okeechobee's navigation locks.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a statement Thursday that stressed the navigation locks along the Okeechobee Waterway would remain open and staffed during the U.S. government shutdown.

Lake Okeechobee boaters are being alerted to a nearly 10-acre floating island that was blown into the channel Tuesday night near Route 2.The navigation channel is temporarily closed until a team from the U.S. Army Corps team can remove it.

Water experts in Florida agree, as well as take exception, to a new report that says Lake Okeechobee is the dirtiest lake in the United States.The report by Lake.com, a Canadian-based vacation rental platform offering lake houses, cabins and cottages for rent, says Lake O's top issue is visibly murky water due to turbidity levels and lead contamination.The report said that an amount of lead was detected in its most recent samples. There is no safe level of lead, and its presence in lakes is unnatural. Additionally, the report said turbidity here was the second-highest of all evaluated lakes after Utah Lake, giving the impression of rather cloudy water.

An alert is warning boaters of a possible floating tussock hazard to navigation in the Okeechobee Waterway near Route 2.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission completed a revegetation effort on Lake Okeechobee last week, improving the habitat in Fisheating Bay, Moore Haven Marsh, and the Fisheating Bay islands.

Moments after a ribbon was cut in a Hendry County field Tuesday, pumps were opened and the first of 55 billion gallons started filling the new C-43 reservoir and filtering of that water began."This is a big deal," Ben Albritton, Florida State Senate president said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony moments before the pumps started up.

Calusa Waterkeeper, Inc. has appointed Joe Cavanaugh as the new Calusa Waterkeeper, working to protect and restore the Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee to the coastal waters of Lee County.Cavanaugh brings decades of experience in marine science, water quality monitoring, and community engagement to the role. He has worked extensively at the local and federal levels to promote clean water policies and protect critical habitats—most notably through his former role at NOAA, where he helped monitor and protect smalltooth sawfish critical habitat in the Caloosahatchee.

Connie Ramos-Williams decided to step down from her executive director position to spend more time with her growing family and return to what she was doing before she felt the need to help Calusa Waterkeeper – being retired.

The South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission plan to conduct a prescribed burn of up to 12,000 acres in Glades County on Monday weather conditions permitting.