Brown water invades Sanibel Island after Lake Okeechobee release

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (STORYFUL) - Brown water has started to creep into the beautiful waters surrounding Sanibel Island in Florida.

Lots of recent rain in Florida led to higher water levels. In southwest Florida, Lake Okeechobee has risen more than a foot since May, meaning billions of lake water had to be released into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers.

Those rivers end in a bay behind Sanibel Island, and drone video captured the lake’s brown water seep into the otherwise clear Sanibel water.

According to FOX 4, the U.S. Army Corps began releasing the murky lake water on Friday. An official said the lake reached above the stage when Hurricane Irma struck in September. A similar storm could take the lake to higher levels.