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Lake Okeechobee water levels decrease, daily dike inspections continue

Posted at 5:15 PM, Oct 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-19 17:20:34-04

Lake levels have dropped to just over 17 feet in Lake Okeechobee, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to inspect the Herbert Hoover Dike.

"Doing daily inspections," said Army Corps Dam Safety Engineer Almur Whiting.

Thursday inspectors were surveying the dike from Port Mayaca to Moore Haven.

Whiting is looking for any issues along the toe of the levee.

"Any cracks, movement of material, moving water, saturated soil," said Whiting.

The Army Corps is discharging more water east and west than what's flowing into the lake.

Levels are going down.

"Love for that downward trend to continue," said Army Corps spokesperson John Campbell.

People in the Glades are tired of the issue arising every year and have signed a petition to speed up the dike's rehabilitation.

The dike is expected to be finished by 2025.