Florida’s Blue-green Algae Task Force met for the sixth time on Monday. Its five members are charged with finding ways to reduce nutrient pollution that fuels toxic cyanobacteria blooms, and determine how best to allocate resources to speed up nutrient reductions in Lake Okeechobee and the downstream estuaries. Nutrients polluting Florida’s water bodies are widely recognized as the main driver of harmful algal blooms. The task force has identified the primary sources as agricultural operations, wastewater treatment plants, onsite sewage disposal systems, and urban stormwater runoff.
At Monday’s meeting, task force members got one step closer to finalizing their recommendations, which will be presented to the governor and lawmakers before the 2020 Legislative Session. You can read the most recent Blue-green Algae Task Force Draft Consensus Document #1 HERE. It contains the most recent recommendations coming out of the task force meetings.
We get the latest from task force member Dr. Mike Parsons. He is Professor of Marine Science at Florida Gulf Coast University, and Director of FGCU’s Coastal Watershed Institute and Vester Field Station.
