St. Lucie Lock/Okeechobee Waterway

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Back to the Okeechobee Waterway, this is the first time in my somewhat defective memory that I can remember the Okeechobee locks having reduced lockage hours due to HIGH water. It’s usually during times of drought that the USACOE finds it necessary to curb the locks.
Well, as we reported earlier, the prodigious summer Florida rainfall has actually caused some concern about the dikes around Lake Okeechobee (see /?p=121826) and the release of polluted water into the OKWW, east and west of Lake Okeechobee (see /?p=121537). I guess the restricted lock hours described below are just another casualty of all this excess water!

Okeechobee Waterway Revised Locking Hours Due to High Lake Okeechobee Water Levels:
1. Lake Okeechobee is experiencing unusually high water levels requiring adjustments to lockage times on the Okeechobee Waterway to maintain maximum water releases from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River (C-43) and the St. Lucie Canal.
2. Lockage schedules for Moore Haven Lock and Ortona Lock are temporarily revised as of this date to maintain maximum water releases from Lake Okeechobee. Lockage schedules are revised as follows:

Moore Haven Lock (26.833683°-81.088144°). First lockage is at 7AM local time both east and west bound continuing to lock through traffic only on the odd hour throughout the day until securing at 7PM local time.

Ortona Lock (26.789265°-81.304948°): First lockage is at 8am local time both east and west bound continuing to lock thru traffic only on the even hour throughout the day until securing at 6PM local time.

Port Mayaca Lock (26.984290-80.621067°): No restrictions. Lock gates remain open for passage 24/7.

W.P. Franklin Lock (26.723504°-81.693068°): No restrictions. Lockage is on request between 7AM and 7PM local time.

St. Lucie Lock (27.111128°-80.284610°): No restrictions. Lockage is on request between 7AM and 7PM local time.
3. Locks will resume normal hours of operations from 7AM to 7PM daily for the five locks on the Okeechobee Waterway once water levels on Lake Okeechobee are at a reduced level. For additional information regarding this issue and others may be obtained by accessing the Jacksonville District website: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Navigation/NoticestoNavigation.aspx US Army Corps of Engineers point of contact is Mr. Jack J. Pasch, Supervisor Facility Management Specialist at (863)983-8101 x229 or email: jack.j.pasch@usace.army.mil (From a Notice to Navigation Interests, USACE Jacksonville, 12 August 2013)