On Sept. 23, a very large floating tussock was blown into the Lake Okeechobee Waterway, blocking navigation on Route 2. [Photo courtesy USACE]

Photo courtesy USACE

U.S,. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) used heavy equipment to remove a floating tussock that blocked navigation in the Lake Okeechobee Waterway Route 2. The tussock covered approximately 10 acres and was blown into the channel on Sept. 23. As of Sept. 29, USACE had not reopened the navigation route. They are waiting to see how Tropical Storm Imelda may impact Lake O. {Photo courtesy USACE}

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On Sept. 23, a very large floating tussock was blown into the Lake Okeechobee Waterway, blocking navigation on Route 2. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) brought in heavy equipment to clear about 10 acres of tussock material. 

As of Sept. 29, the navigation route was still closed because USACE is waiting to see if there may be impacts on Lake Okeechobee from Tropical Storm Imelda.

The plant material which was scooped from the water will stay in a pile on the bank until it dries out. Then it will either be hauled away or smoothed down into the bank.

A floating tussock is a natural phenomenon in wetlands characterized by a floating mat of decomposing organic and mineral sediment, supported by the roots of emergent macrophytes. These mats can vary in size and composition, often forming in areas where water levels fluctuate, allowing plant roots to float due to oxygen availability.

Before Lake Okeechobee was enclosed by the Herbert Hoover Dike, hurricane winds would push tussocks out of the lake, contributing to the muck that became the fertile soil of the Everglades.

Lake Okeechobee Waterway map courtesy USACE