WATER QUALITY REPORT FOR JAN. 28, 2024
Much of the last three days I spent with the Everglades Coalition, a single, overarching nonprofit environmental organization working to repair the River of Grass. The coalition is comprised of more than 50 nonprofit environmental organizations working to repair the River of Grass.
The Everglades Coalition is akin to something named the American Association of Associations, or a National Alliance of Regional Alliances.
Whichever member organization any one of the combined 500 folks at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs are all working on some facet of the Everglades restoration.
The heart of it all: water
Where is the water is coming from, and how polluted is it?
Where’s the water going, and how clean is it now?
Is the water moving in the proper direction, which is not an easy question to answer because the correct heading today may be 180 degrees different than yesterday.
The Big Stuff was the Small Stuff
The Boss of Me sent me to here to observe the Everglades rebuilders. To gather the most important information. To talk to the most important people. To learn about anything nifty, or any unexpected roadblocks.
Y’know, the Big Stuff
I did. Some of the interesting stuff this year was huge, but not a lot. Let’s just say there was little need for the dual, movie-theater-sized screens set up in a very large conference room so nearly 500 could see the same thing at the same time.
I’m not saying there wasn’t anything important, or new, discussed during the sessions throughout each day. You can read about that stuff in my main stories about the conference.
What I am saying, here in the run-up to this week’s Water Quality Report, is some things I heard in between the bigger things were super-interesting tidbits.
Like what?
There was the rancher who talked about how he was stymied in years past when he wanted to give away, not sell, the conservation easements to some 150,000 acres of his land, but was told no.
If you don’t recall, a “conservation easement” is a more esoteric way to say “development rights.” To a struggling farming family with a whole bunch of acreage in a fast-growing state like Florida, selling your conservation easements can create generational wealth in an instant.
Public money is most often used to buy the land, so the taxpayers have the future say. And I doubt there has been a referendum anywhere in the United States, ever, to determine whether a community should change a conservation easement in a woodsy enclave to allow for a new chemical dump site.
So the fact that a rancher in Southwest Florida couldn’t give his easements away to the politicians-slash-public was the Big News to me. (Turns out it was long ago, and had something to do with the local officials not knowing how to legally accept such an expensive gift without getting into trouble.)
There was the quick comment about how the important, elusive ghost orchid, so popular when in bloom in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, is no closer to being protected by the Endangered Species Act than it was last year.
Another small piece of Big News announced with little apparent reaction was this summer’s underwater heatwave in the Gulf of Mexico killed nearly all of the endangered staghorn and elkhorn coral, despite being pulled from the water and put back in when things cooled down.
The water quality was fine. The water quantity was there. But now, learning that tidbit, which was not a scheduled topic of discussion in any of the sessions, we know the water’s temperature also needs to be taken into account.
At a conference of a coalition of more than 50 like-minded coalitions, the stories are everywhere.
Now, here’s WQCU’s Water Quality Report with the story on red tide and blue-green algae in Southwest Florida.
RED TIDE
In Southwest Florida, the period between January and February is typically not when we see red tide or blue-green algae outbreaks. These phenomena are more commonly associated with late summer and fall when higher temperatures and more stable weather patterns can help the blooms grow, and last.
Red tide outbreaks, for instance, are influenced by a combination of factors including warmer water temperature, salinity, nutrients in the water normally from fertilizer runoff, and currents.
The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed at background concentrations in one sample from Southwest Florida 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 related to red tide.
However, it's important to note that while less common, outbreaks can still occur during these months under the right conditions. Environmental factors are complex and can be influenced by a range of variables including weather patterns, human activity, and ecological changes.
Or hurricanes, especially ones named Ian, that in 2022-23 brought red tides --over-and-over-and-over -- off Southwest Florida through spring.
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 (brevetoxins) 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.
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE
Similar to red tide, blue-green algae blooms in freshwater systems such as those connected to Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River, are more prevalent during warmer periods when higher water temperatures and nutrient runoff from rain promote their growth. The drier conditions and cooler temperatures of January and February tend to reduce the likelihood of significant blooms.
The most recent satellite imagery for the Caloosahatchee estuary shows no bloom potential on visible portions of the estuary. In Lake Okeechobee, satellites show scattered, low-to-moderate bloom potential primarily along the western shore of the lake.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection reports Highlands County staff collected a sample at Lake Placid sample was dominated by an element of blue-green algae and trace levels were detected at the boat ramp at Lake
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 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 bad
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 Florida department of Environmental Protection 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 immediately.
What causes blue-green algae?
Blue-green algae blooms occur when the algae that are normally present grow in numbers more than normal. Within a few days, a bloom can cause clear water to become cloudy. Winds tend to push some 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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