Storms in recent weeks have left the state too waterlogged and water levels in Lake Okeechobee too high as the rainy season ramps up, water managers warned Thursday.

In the last nine days, lake levels rose three-quarters of a foot, wiping out a winter’s worth of flushing to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers that fouled both coasts with muddy brown water. With the rainy season getting underway and the start of hurricane season just around the corner, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a briefing that it will resume releases, doubling the current flow amount to lower the lake and protect its aging dike.

“What we think we’ve seen is probably the lowest the lake is going to be this year,” said Lt. Col. Jennifer Reynolds, who called the year “really challenging.”

Water managers try to maintain the lake at between 12.5 feet and 15.5 feet, preferring to head into the wet season at the low end. But on Thursday, levels measured 14.38 feet, well above a low reached on May 17 at 13.64 feet and close to a high not seen since 2010. Water flowing into the lake from the north also far exceeded what managers have been pumping out to lower levels.

“At that level, the lake will rise at a rate we can’t maintain during the hurricane season because it will take up all the storage we’ve made,” Reynolds said.

This year’s intense El Niño dumped record rain on the region, with lake levels shooting up in January. In February, the Corps opened up its flood gates to allow maximum releases that triggered a massive flushing. The surge from the lake soiled both coasts, angering residents who also saw releases in 2013 kill sea grass and trigger toxic algae blooms. In March, Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency and blamed the Obama administration for not moving fast enough to fix the dike.

In recent months, water managers scaled back lake releases as the region moved into a more typical dry season, but concerns mounted over a possible outbreak of toxic blue green algae in the lake. On Thursday, Reynolds said the Corps was consulting with other state agencies about the algae, but couldn’t say whether increasing discharges would help flush out any algae, or spread it to the estuaries.

Water managers have for the first time also moved massive amounts of water in the southern Everglades from a sprawling conservation area north of the Tamiami Trail and into Everglades National Park through the Shark River Slough. The plan mirrors what managers hope to do with restoration work to revive water moving south, giving them a glimpse at future efforts. The data collected could lead to more water being moved, which had been planned for incremental tests.

“Right now water levels are higher than folks have seen since the 1960s and we think that’s great news,” Reynolds said. “As we move water south, it’s going where we want it to go.”