Lake Okeechobee levels dropping, some concerned about algae bloom

How low can Lake O go? 

That question will be answered over the next eight weeks as the peak of the dry season bears down on Florida. 

How and when the lake draws down further will determine how much the lake is able to recover from Hurricane Irma and winter winds, both of which stirred up sediment from the bottom of the lake and turned waters dirty. 

"This drought is a blessing," said Mary Ann Martin, owner of Roland Martin Marina and Resort in Clewiston. "I hope the lake goes bone dry, and I hope we have the biggest fire in Florida. It will be the best thing that’s happened to this lake, and when it fills up (in the summer) the fish will be so happy, and they’ll feed." 

The surface of Lake Okeechobee was about 13.5 feet above sea level Wednesday. Army Corps protocols say the lake should be kept between 12.5 and 15.5 feet above sea level to maintain water supply for South Floridians and agriculture while protecting thousands of lives and properties south of Okeechobee. 

"Right now it’s ugly because it’s full of mud and dirty water," Martin said. "We don’t like that, and the fish don’t like that, and the habitat don’t like that."

More:Critics: State not doing enough to protect Caloosahatchee estuary

More:Lake Okeechobee algae blooms may be detected sooner, understood better by NASA's SeaPRISM

Martin isn't the only one who wants to see lake levels drop. 

Last year was the wettest wet season on record, according to the South Florida Water Management District. 

Hurricane Irma capped off the season, dropping nearly a foot of rain in this region. 

Irma killed off submerged aquatic vegetation that helps keep the water clean and the lake healthy. 

"The problem is once we lose (the vegetation) we have dirty water, and there are no plants to clean the water, so it’s a whole cycle of bad things that happen when we lose that vegetation," said Paul Gray, with Audubon Florida. "And light won’t penetrate at 12.5 feet like it does in a typical year. It would be great if we could get down to 11 feet."

More:U.S Army Corps of Engineers to slow Lake Okeechobee releases

More:Corps: Lake O flows to slow

Gray said the stirred-up sediment will likely settle to the bottom again this summer, when winds are calmer. 

The idea is that as the lake drops, aquatic vegetation comes back and starts to filter the water again. 

Those plants will help make the water clear, but Gray and others worry that the lake may produce algae blooms later this year. 

Not only did Irma drop a foot or so of rain, but it also sent untold tons of nutrients into the system. 

Clear water and plenty of nutrients are a good combination for algae blooms. 

"Right now we don’t have any algae blooms in the lake because the water is so dirty," Gray said. "But once the water clears up, then we start to worry about algae blooms."

There's also a concern that the Caloosahatchee River could be cut off from Lake Okeechobee releases if the lake drops too much. 

More:Critics: State not giving Caloosahatchee enough water

Often Lake Okeechobee releases, combined with stormwater runoff from the Caloosahatchee River basin, put too much freshwater in the river. 

That disrupts the salinity balance of the river's delicate estuary. 

The river and its ecosystem need water from Lake Okeechobee during dry periods to keep saltwater from working its way too far up the river. 

"We came out of the high discharge period, and in a short period, salinity levels are too high for tape grasses in the upper estuary and oysters in the lower estuary," said Rae Ann Wessel, with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. "So we switch from dirty water to no water, and there really is no excuse. There should be more water released to the Caloosahatchee River." 

Average rainfall is expected until the start of the rainy season in June, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

The months of April and May typically produce about 6 inches of rainfall, according to South Florida Water Management District records. 

Connect with this reporter: Chad Gillis on Twitter.