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This east-looking, low-oblique photograph
shows Lake Okeechobee, the fourth largest lake wholly
within the United States. Covering an area of 700 square
miles (1815 square kilometers), the lake is 35 miles (55
kilometers) long and as wide as 25 miles (40 kilometers).
The maximum depth of the lake is slightly more than 15
feet (5 meters). Lake Okeechobee receives the Kissimmee
River from the north and drains to the ocean through the
Everglades. In the 1960s, the Kissimmee River was
shortened and channeled, and the lake was encircled by a
huge dike to prevent its annual overflow. The areas
around the lake were drained and crisscrossed by a
network of canals, dikes, and raised roads. Hundreds of
thousands of acres (hectares) were put under intensive
cultivation to produce vegetables and sugarcane. Since
the 1960s, Lake Okeechobee has become a giant septic tank
for runoff wastes and pesticides, yet it continues to
serve as a holding pond for water that is now rationed to
the Everglades. The whole ecosystem of the Everglades and
the Big Cypress Swamp has been altered, resulting in
severe damage. Recent developments have allowed the
Kissimmee River to flow once again in its natural
channel, and processes are under way for the cleanup of
Lake Okeechobee. |
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E X P L O R A T I O N O F T H E E A R T H A N D M O O N |