Panasoffkee/Wysong/Withlacoochee Update - 5/22/2018

Recent Rainfall Keeps Water Levels Up

 Water Levels, Stream Flows and Rainfall:

• Water levels and flows normally decrease during the dry season (Oct-May) when we don’t typically get much rainfall.
• This year has been different.
• Not only has it rained a lot this month, but the first six months of 2018 have been significantly wetter than the same period last year.
• As a result, lake levels have remained relatively steady over the past 6 months.
• Stream flows and groundwater levels in our aquifer are also high for this time of year.
• Today, the lake is nearly 2 ½ feet higher than it was a year ago.
• The table below shows current conditions (May 22) as compared to conditions this time last year.

Wysong and the Withlacoochee River:

• The Wysong structure is used to help conserve water upstream and in Lake Panasoffkee, by limiting the rate at which the lake would naturally drain.
• This not only keeps lake levels higher for longer, it also provides higher flows to the river during the end of the dry season.
• Withlacoochee River levels are currently 1.5 to 2 feet higher than they were a year ago.
• Also, river flows are nearly 10 times greater than they were this time last year, because of the excess rainfall our region has received.

 Wysong Structure

 

 

 

Have a great rest of the week!

Mark

Mark Fulkerson, Ph.D., P.E.

Southwest Florida Water Management District

 (352) 796-7211, ext. 4410

(800) 423-1476 (FL only)

(352) 279-4493 (cell)

Mark.Fulkerson@WaterMatters.org

 Withlacoochee River Watershed Initiative