Army Corps of Engineers drops water level at Lake Okeechobee

MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. -- The Army Corps of Engineers will be dropping the level of Lake Okeechobee starting Wednesday morning.

According to the Corps, the level is at 15.11 feet.

The Corps works along a set of guidelines put in place in the Lake Okeechobee Regulatory Schedule. According to the guidelines, the Corps tries to keep the lake level between 12.5 and 15.5 feet.

The Corps is dropping the level as a precautionary measure since hurricane season isn't over yet.

Officials attribute the high lake level to recent rainfall from Tropical Storm Isaac.

In just the past month, officials say the lake has risen nearly three feet.

The Corps of Engineers hasn't indicated how low it'll drop the lake, but says staff members will be closely monitoring the release of water.

The water will be released through the Herbert Hoover Dike in western Martin County. It'll then flow through the St. Lucie Canal which runs along Kanner Highway .

Water will also be released on the western side of the lake, flowing into the Caloosahatchee Basin which travels into the Fort Myers area.

The release begins at 7 a.m.