Col. Brandon Bowman, the new Army Corps commander for the region that includes Florida, is going to truly open the floodgates on both sides of Lake Okeechobee next month, discharging water east and west to drop the level of the lake by 4 feet during the following three months.
The goal is to drop the lake from its current depth of 16 feet to 12 feet or fewer.
The reason for the urgency is this: hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as other tropical systems that dropped incredible amounts of rain this summer, have raised the lake to a level where the underwater vegetation is too far below the surface and is dying off. That threatens not just the world-class bass fishing at Lake Okeechobee, but its entire ecological balance.
Big-time releases like this were not supposed to happen anymore.
At least that was the indication environmentalists from both sides of the state said they got when the Army Corps, which manages the lake along with the South Florida Water Management District, introduced a grand new plan approved this summer to regulate the lake level.
Not only does so much freshwater coming from the lake foul up the salinity levels of the bays and estuaries at the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico ends of the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers, respectively, but also blue-green algae is endemic in the lake and travels wherever the water goes.
The Caloosahatchee River normally receives a steady amount of water from the lake this time of year that is beneficial to its estuary, although the Army Corps plans to release slightly more than what marine scientists who focus on the delicate balance of the river want to see.
On the St. Lucie side, environmental groups have been trying to clean up the Indian River Lagoon after decades of just these types of heavy releases from Lake Okeechobee, as well as urban runoff and leaky septic tanks, have decimated the waterway, its grass beds, and fisheries.
“We’re disappointed,” said Gil Smart, head of VoteWater, a clean-water nonprofit in Stuart. “We understand the lake’s in bad condition but unfortunately, the estuaries are also in bad condition. On this side of the state, the St. Lucie estuary has gotten a ton of runoff. The water quality is terrible, and the discharge is only going to add insult to injury.”
Smart said if the state sees a wetter-than-anticipated dry season, which is typically the first four months of the year, getting the lake down to 12 feet or less is not going to happen.
“We question this wisdom of this,” he said. “If you're not going to be able to achieve your goals, what's the point of inflicting all of the pain on the estuaries rather than opening the floodgates and pounding the estuaries now?
“This is going to make a bad situation worse.”
More on this issue soon.
We now present WGCU's Water Quality Report in its entirety because, with the releases, this may be one of the last reports for a while showing Southwest Florida is relatively free of blue-green algae and red tide.
RED TIDE
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sampled for the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, and more than 125 were positive along the Gulf of Mexico, a number far higher than reported in the past three years of WGCU’s Water Quality Report.
Most were north of Southwest Florida, but 10 samples were positive in Sarasota County, where fish killed by red tide washed up on beaches and the tell-tale coughing, sneezing, and scratchy throats when red tide is in the air were reported at Siesta Key and Venice’s North Jetty Park.
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE
The Florida Department of Health has not issued any local warnings about blue-green algae during the past week.
Blue-green algae were not discovered in limited sampling of Lake Okeechobee, but satellite images of the lake show potential for a bloom to develop along the shoreline. Satellite images of the upper Caloosahatchee River found it all clear.
The Department of Health reminds residents that winds and tides tend to push the components of blue-green algae around, so people should still be watchful for the potentially toxic bloom.
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 people 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 the water where algae are 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.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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