Florida Lake, A Backup Water Supply, Hits Record Low As Exposed Bed Burns Amid Drought

Thursday, May 31st 2007, 4:58 pm

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ The water level in the lake that serves as the main backup water supply for 5 million south Florida residents dropped to a record low Thursday as firefighters continued battling a blaze on part of the exposed lake bottom.

Lake Okeechobee was at 8.94 feet, surpassing the mark of 8.97 feet set during a 2001 drought and tied Wednesday, the South Florida Water Management District reported. The average level should be about 13 feet this time of year.

``There is no joy over this record-breaking event,'' said Carol Ann Wehle, the district's executive director. Record keeping on the lake's levels began in 1931.

Meanwhile, a fire burning on part of the parched lake bed grew as firefighters took on the blaze amid windy conditions. It has burned 39 square miles, but no structures were in danger, Division of Forestry spokesman Patrick Mahoney said.

Lake Okeechobee, the second-largest freshwater lake in the contiguous United States, is also the liquid heart of the Everglades. South Florida is largely dependent on the 730-square-mile lake during dry periods, when it can be used as a reservoir if wells from underground aquifers get too low.

Rainfall directly over the lake has been sparse enough to qualify this drought as a one-in-100-year event, the district said. Just 40 inches of rain have fallen on the region in the past 18 months, about half the average amount, water managers said.

``If South Florida wants to get out of a crisis situation ... we need the lake to rise 5 feet,'' Wehle said.

The area around the lake could get from 1 to 2 inches of rain in the next two or three days, the National Weather Service in Miami said.

The drought has forced stringent water restrictions on homes and businesses in 13 counties.