<P> The floor of the lake is a limestone basin , with a maximum depth of 13 feet ( 4 m ) . Its water is somewhat murky from runoff from surrounding farmlands . The Army Corps of Engineers targets keeping the surface of the lake between 12.5 and 15.5 feet ( 4 and 5 m ) above sea level . The lake is enclosed by a 40 feet ( 12 m ) high Herbert Hoover Dike built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after a hurricane in 1928 breached the old dike , flooding surrounding communities and claiming at least 2,500 lives . Water flows into Lake Okeechobee from several sources , including the Kissimmee River , Fisheating Creek , Lake Istokpoga , Taylor Creek , and smaller sources such as Nubbin Slough and Nicodemus Slough . The Kissimmee River is the largest source , providing more than 60 % of the water flowing into Lake Okeechobee . Fisheating Creek is the second largest source for the lake , with about 9 % of the total inflow . Prior to the 20th century , Lake Istokpoga was connected to the Kissimee River by Istokpoga Creek , but during the rainy season Lake Istokpoga overflowed , with the water flowing in a 40 km wide sheet across the Indian Prairie into Lake Okeechobee . Today Lake Istokpoga drains into Lake Okeechobee through several canals that drain the Indian Prairie , and into the Kissimmee River through a canal that has replaced Istokpoga Creek . Historically , outflow from the lake was by sheet flow over the Everglades , but most of the outflow has been diverted to dredged canals connecting to coastal rivers , such as the Miami Canal to the Miami River , the New River on the east , and the Caloosahatchee River ( via the Caloosahatchee Canal and Lake Hicpochee ) on the southwest . </P>
<P> The floor of the lake is a limestone basin , with a maximum depth of 13 feet ( 4 m ) . Its water is somewhat murky from runoff from surrounding farmlands . The Army Corps of Engineers targets keeping the surface of the lake between 12.5 and 15.5 feet ( 4 and 5 m ) above sea level . The lake is enclosed by a 40 feet ( 12 m ) high Herbert Hoover Dike built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after a hurricane in 1928 breached the old dike , flooding surrounding communities and claiming at least 2,500 lives . Water flows into Lake Okeechobee from several sources , including the Kissimmee River , Fisheating Creek , Lake Istokpoga , Taylor Creek , and smaller sources such as Nubbin Slough and Nicodemus Slough . The Kissimmee River is the largest source , providing more than 60 % of the water flowing into Lake Okeechobee . Fisheating Creek is the second largest source for the lake , with about 9 % of the total inflow . Prior to the 20th century , Lake Istokpoga was connected to the Kissimee River by Istokpoga Creek , but during the rainy season Lake Istokpoga overflowed , with the water flowing in a 40 km wide sheet across the Indian Prairie into Lake Okeechobee . Today Lake Istokpoga drains into Lake Okeechobee through several canals that drain the Indian Prairie , and into the Kissimmee River through a canal that has replaced Istokpoga Creek . Historically , outflow from the lake was by sheet flow over the Everglades , but most of the outflow has been diverted to dredged canals connecting to coastal rivers , such as the Miami Canal to the Miami River , the New River on the east , and the Caloosahatchee River ( via the Caloosahatchee Canal and Lake Hicpochee ) on the southwest . </P>
where does the water in lake okeechobee come from
where does the water in lake okeechobee come from
several sources , including the Kissimmee River , Fisheating Creek , Lake Istokpoga , Taylor Creek , and smaller sources such as Nubbin Slough and Nicodemus Slough
several sources , including the Kissimmee River , Fisheating Creek , Lake Istokpoga , Taylor Creek , and smaller sources such as Nubbin Slough and Nicodemus Slough