1. Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades (KOE) Watershed

2. Lake Okeechobee Large, shallow eutrophic lake
Large feature of KOE watershed
669 sq miles
Average depth 2.7m
2nd largest freshwater lake in US (Lake Michigan is the 1st)

3. Lake Okeechobee Drainage basin – 4600 sq miles
Early accounts describe lake as filled to brim and overflowing
Hurricane of 1928 – killed over 700 people
Surrounded lake with mound of dirt (levee)

4. Lake Okeechobee Once natural lake and wetland system
Now functions as water supply and flood control
Canals now drain through to the coasts
Loss of wetlands surrounding the lake prevents filtration of water leading to the lake
Excess phosphorus and nitrates
Then this excess can be leaked to the coasts
Nutrient pollution

5. Complex water management in the region
Due to high rainfall, periods of drought, hurricanes, etc.
Excess water stored in lakes, detention ponds, impoundments, aquifers, or is discharged to the coast and the estuaries
Outflows from Lake Okeechobee are received by the St. Lucie River, Caloosahatchee River, and the Everglades Agricultural area
Tcpalm

6. Historic and Current Flow of Water