PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Army Corps of Engineers says they expect Hurricane Dorian to add as much as three-and-a-half feet of water to Lake Okeechobee, and they have no plans to release water ahead of the storm.
Currently the lake is at 13.6 feet above sea level, which is raising concerns from some.
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“Ahead of the storm you think they’d be lowering the lake but they’re not doing that right now,” says Melissa McKinlay, a Palm Beach County Commissioner whose district includes the lake.
In Palm Beach County on Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he’s in constant contact with the Corps, which has inspected the Herbert Hoover Dike and found no trouble spots.
“A storm of this magnitude, particularly how slow its going, has the capacity to dump an awful lot of water into the lake,” the governor said.
In a statement, the Corps says, “After the storm, we anticipate high-flow releases to the east and west from Lake Okeechobee will be required. Downstream flooding conditions will be evaluated before making any releases.”