Upper Peace River Expected to Go Dry Within Days
Due to extreme dry conditions from a continued lack of rainfall and declining water levels, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is closing the Lake Hancock P-11 water control structure this week to maintain minimum lake levels. Without discharge from the lake, portions of the Upper Peace River (UPR), from Lake Hancock to Fort Meade, are expected to go dry and become non-navigable within days. The river is expected to remain dry until the summer rainy season begins in June.
District staff will close the water control structure slowly and discharges to the river are expected to reach zero by this weekend. The District has no other options as these conditions can only be resolved with significant rainfall.
Dry river conditions were common in the UPR before 2015, prior to the District’s Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification project. Since its completion, the District has been able to store water in the lake and release it to the river during the dry season, with the exception of a short period at the end of the dry season in May 2017. However, the District received below average rainfall during its 2025 summer rainy season and currently has a 12.8-inch regional rainfall deficit compared to the average 12-month total. Because of this sustained lack of rainfall, lake levels are expected to drop lower and the UPR may remain dry longer.
Fish kills are expected downstream of the P-11 structure, as closing off the flow of water to the river will lead to fish being trapped in isolated pools in the river channel with low dissolved oxygen levels. Water quality conditions are also expected to worsen in Lake Hancock as the lake level continues to drop from evaporation. Fish kills are also expected in the lake due to low dissolved oxygen.
The Peace River runs about 120 miles from Polk County to Charlotte Harbor. Learn more about it here.