SFWMD Moving Water to Protect Communities in Upper Kissimmee

photo of S-65D structure on the Kissimmee River

Sept. 15, 2017

West Palm Beach, FL – To protect homes and businesses in the Upper Kissimmee Chain of Lakes area, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is moving as much water as possible out of the region.

Water managers are taking additional actions as lakes continue to rise from a combination of direct rainfall over the area during the last 24 hours and immense stormwater runoff from Hurricane Irma.

Operations include:

All structures upstream of Lake Kissimmee discharging at maximum rates
Increased flows through the S-65 structure that moves water from Lake Kissimmee into the Kissimmee River
Opening the S-65A boat lock on the Kissimmee River to increase flow; all SFWMD boat locks on the river remain closed to public recreation to facilitate these operations.
Monitoring 24 hours a day