WATER QUALITY REPORT FOR FEB. 19, 2024
A few months back, I mused on the strategy being employed at that time by Army Corps Col. James Booth, the man in charge of deciding when to lower the level of Lake Okeechobee.
It’s a tough call, and I said as much. Booth knows Lake O is so polluted with centuries-worth of phosphorous and nitrogen from agriculture runoff that water released from the lake down our Caloosahatchee River, or to the east down the St. Lucie River, carries bad stuff with it.
We don’t like it because it makes us uneasy (and sometimes queasy): What is going to happen this time? Nothing? The worst blue-green algae outbreak in memory? Will it be the green-and-blue-scum on top of the water that sticks to everything, or those floating mats of algae that look – and smell – like a rotting toupee gone bad?
When to lower the gates and let the water rip through the spillways is advertised as a team decision. Others – higher-ups in the South Florida Water Management Districts, and lower-downs in other agencies -- contribute their opinions, but despite any supposed coordination between the military-public-military-private-military-regional-military-local folks when the gates lower, it’s because Booth said so.
Like corporations, in the military the ranking officer in charge gets the accolades for decisions well-made or the blame when things turn bad.
It is safe to say at this point, in a rainier-than-normal winter, that Booth’s decision to keep water in Lake Okeechobee as it approached the high-level mark has, in fact, become a very unpopular decision.
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation said the Army Corps is now “sending damaging freshwater flows into the river’s estuary” and wonders why the agency kept the lake higher than normal since Hurricanes Ian and Nicole raised levels by over two feet in 2022.
“Since those storms, the Army Corps has been working to manage the lake, attempting to lower it at times, and ‘banking’ water when it deemed releases were not prudent,” said Matt DePaolis, SCCF’s environmental director. “Now, however, a wetter dry season due to El Niño has prevented the drawdown we normally expect to see during the drier winter months.”
When officials from the Army Corps or any state and local agencies involved in the Everglades restoration project mention the height of the water in Lake Okeechobee, they are not referring to the depth of the lake, which seldom exceeds nine or ten feet. Instead, they are likely discussing the water level relative to sea level.
- Tom Bayles
Perhaps he wanted to – maybe he was even under orders to – let the water rise to test out the strength of the new-and-improved Herbert Hoover Dike, which is now concrete-hardened as if were a really big, round, nuclear bunker but without a roof, which I suppose would not make it a very effective bunker from big bombs raining down from above.
But, as I often due during Water Quality Reports, I digress.
Maybe Booth was not aware of how quickly the lake can rise. And who knew the summer rainy season would be preceded by a rare winter rainy season?
The region’s environmental groups have wondered why the Army Corps has been waffling in recent weeks about starting the releases because even though some water from the lake is beneficial in certain cases, it is never welcome when it is close to resembling a flood.
However, now pretty much every nonprofit that works hard to keep Lake O, the Caloosahatchee River, the St. Lucie River, the Indian River Lagoon, San Carlos Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico clear of harmful algae blooms is wondering what took Booth so long – and more importantly why he will not tell anyone how long it will be that the poor-quality water from Lake O will flow into our backyard docks and canals?
Col. Booth will be available later this week to answer everyone’s questions about the amount of the releases, how long they will last, and what his agency plans to do would a fish kill or algae outbreak occurs.
Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart is going to host Col. Booth at their Rivers Coalition Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 11 a.m. at Stuart City Hall on Florida’s East Coast.
But we over here on the West Coast can watch it on Zoom.
The Zoom link: https://ow.ly/BMyi50QEcVs
Use Meeting ID: 862 7662 1940
Passcode: NDISCHARGE
I’ll see you online on Thursday. Now, let’s head to the WGCU Water Quality Report, which was just written seconds ago …
RED TIDE
There is nothing to report here.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sampled for the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, and it was not observed in samples collected statewide over the past week.
No reports of fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were received over the past week.
Respiratory Irritation was not reported in Florida over the past week.
In the past week, the CROW wildlife hospital on Sanibel admitted two animals with suspects red tide toxicosis. One juvenile herring and one adult anhinga. Both are still being treated.
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE
The Florida Department of Health has issued a warning for blue-green algae near the Midpoint Bridge leading into Cape Coral, for the canals by Southeast 23rd Street and Southeast 11th Place, after testing found the conditions ripe for a bloom.
The agency reminds residents that winds and tides tend to push the components of blue-green algae around, so people in that region should be watchful for the potentially toxic bloom.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection found sattelite imagery for Lake Okeechobee shows bloom potential on 5-10% of the lake, predominantly along the southwestern shoreline.
Satellite imagery for the Caloosahatchee estuary shows highly scattered, low-to-moderate bloom potential throughout the estuary.
The FDEP says it is important to remember the blue-green algae potential is subject to change due to rapidly changing environmental conditions or satellite inconsistencies.
What is red tide?
Red tide is one type of harmful algal bloom caused by high concentrations of the toxic dinoflagellate K. brevis, which is a type of microscopic algae found in the Gulf of Mexico.
Red tide typically forms naturally offshore, commonly in late summer or early fall, and is carried into coastal waters by winds and currents. Once inshore, these opportunistic organisms can use nearshore nutrient sources to fuel their growth.
Blooms typically last into winter or spring, but in some cases, can endure for more than one year.
Is red tide harmful?
K. brevis produces potent neurotoxins that can be harmful to the health of both wildlife and people. Wind and wave action can break open K. brevis cells and release toxins into the air. This is why you should monitor conditions and stay away from beaches where red tide is in bloom.
People in coastal areas can experience varying degrees of eye, nose and throat irritation during a red tide bloom. Some individuals with chronic respiratory conditions like asthma or chronic lung disease might experience more severe symptoms.
Red tide toxins can also affect the central nervous system of fish and other marine life, which can lead to fish kills.
What causes red tide?
A red tide bloom develops naturally, but recent studies have discovered mankind's infusion of other nutrients into the mix can make the red tide last longer or get stronger. But biology (the organisms), chemistry (natural or man-made nutrients for growth) and physics (concentrating and transport mechanisms) interact to produce the algal bloom. No one factor causes the development of a red tide bloom.
What is blue-green algae?
Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, are a group of organisms that can live in freshwater, saltwater or brackish water.
Large concentrations, called blooms, can change the water color to blue, green, brown, orange or red. Some cyanobacterial blooms can look like foam, scum, or mats on the surface of freshwater lakes and ponds. As algae in a cyanobacterial bloom die, the water may smell like something with a naturally unpleasant odor has now started to rot, too.
Is blue-green algae harmful?
Different types of blue-green algal bloom species can look different and have different impacts. However, regardless of species, many types of blue-green algae can produce toxins that can make you or your pets sick if swallowed or possibly cause skin and eye irritation.
The FDEP advises staying out of water where algae is visibly present as specks or mats or where water is discolored. Pets or livestock should not come into contact with algal bloom-impacted water or with algal bloom material or fish on the shoreline. If they do, wash the animals right away.
What causes blue-green algae?
Blue-green algae blooms occur when the algae that are typically present grow in numbers more than normal. Within a few days, a bloom can cause clear water to become cloudy.
Winds tend to push the floating blooms to the shore where they become more noticeable. Cyanobacterial blooms can form in warm, slow-moving waters that are rich in nutrients. Blooms can occur at any time, but most often occur in late summer or early fall.
If any major type of water quality alert is issued, you can find the details here in WGCU’s Water Quality Report.
