WATER QUALITY REPORT FOR MARCH 31, 2024
There is no better word than “blistering” to describe the reaction of local water-quality nonprofits to how the Army Corps has managed the level in Lake Okeechobee during the last 18 months.
Army Corps Col. James Booth recently “paused” high-velocity releases from the lake into the Caloosahatchee and other rivers after the spillways have been rather wide open for roughly six weeks. He will decide shortly whether they will resume.
My guess, and it is far from sticking my neck out there, is yes, and yes due to one word: hurricane.
Col. Booth has the unenviable job of deciding whether to open the gates on the Big Lake, which allows for daily releases of millions of gallons of water deemed polluted by the Environmental Protection Agency more than five years ago to gush – yes, gush – down the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers.
Lake Okeechobee is polluted with nutrients, mainly phosphorus and nitrogen from fertilizers, both in the water column and deep into the lakebed where the chemicals have settled in, layer by layer, decade after decade.
I have reported the story behind the buildup of pollutants in the lake from different angles and I’m sure, in light of the current controversies, that that history will be revisited in a very-near-future Water Quality Report.
This week’s Friday teleconference with the media was the first one in quite some time, and Booth told me that was a pre-planned break that occurs every year during the dry season.
Sort of like professional football players get to take February through April off after another brutal season, I suppose the folks at the Army Corps enjoy a little time off not dealing with the Lake Okeechobee situation(s) for a few weeks when it’s not supposed to be raining in Florida. Call it their summer break.
Criticisms of the way Booth has managed the water level have been nonstop.
“This year's need to perform harmful discharges is due to a wetter than average dry season. The El Nino pattern was widely forecasted, so it is fair to question why the Army Corps chose to enter this calendar year with the lake at its highest level in recent history.”Captains For Clean Water
Some are angered by what they perceive as his failure to release water in smaller bursts during a longer period of time.
Others are upset that Booth waited so long and the lake water got so high that he had to send high-velocity discharges during the last six weeks when environmentalists contend the timing couldn’t be worse for the spring-time aquatic environment.
“This water is high in nitrogen, phosphorous, and other pollutants. Besides greatly increasing the potential of harmful algal blooms the discharges also drive down the salinity in the river, stressing oyster beds and many other species in the estuary,” Captains for Clean Water wrote earlier this month.
“This year's need to perform harmful discharges is due to a wetter than average dry season. The El Nino pattern was widely forecasted, so it is fair to question why the Army Corps chose to enter this calendar year with the lake at its highest level in recent history.”
Booth said the two-week pause in releases from the lake into the rivers is “to allow the environment to recover.”
Maybe somebody should work with him on his word choices.
However, isn’t a public official who is a straight shooter what We The People always lament we need more of?
James Booth is a big boy with a big job who can handle big pressure. To me, his honesty is refreshing.
If he wants nearly every environmental group to knock it off with all the criticism he has to find a way to deal with a situation more than a century in the making, finding a solution in short order, in a way nobody has yet been able to envision.
If he can, it would go a very long way in easing concerns of the rising chorus of voices unhappy with the water quality and environmental policies in Southwest Florida.
Good luck with that one, Jamie.
And I mean that.
I live here, too.
RED TIDE
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed at background concentrations in two samples collected from offshore Sarasota County.
Red tide markers were not found in samples collected from Manatee, Charlotte, Lee, or Collier counties. No samples from Monroe County were analyzed this week
No reports of fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were received over the past week, nor was there any respiratory irritation reported in Florida over the past week related to the harmful algae bloom.
Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel Island received five birds with toxicosis symptoms from red tide or blue-green algae from March 19-25.
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE
The Lee County Environmental Lab reported moderately abundant indicators of a potential blue-green algae outbreak at Royal Palm Park. Upstream of the Franklin Locks, and at the Davis Boat Ramps, there were some visible algae streaks and accumulation.
A similar situation was found at the Alva Boat Ramp with streaks and a pale green tint to the water.
Winds and tides tend to push the components of blue-green algae around, so people in the upper Calosahatchee River area should stay aware.
Lake Okeechobee shows low to moderate bloom potential on approximately xx% of the lake, primarily in The most recent satellite imagery for Lake Okeechobee shows widely scattered bloom potential on visible portions of the lake with the northern portion of the lake showing the lowest bloom potential.
The most recent satellite imagery for the Caloosahatchee estuary shows low-to-moderate bloom potential in the upper portion of 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.
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