Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
The South Florida Water Management is responding to critics who say the district isn’t doing enough to stop the spread of blue-green algae.
Blue-green algae forced Treasure Coast officials to close some Martin County beaches this week. The algae also have been spotted in waterways and canals across much of South Florida.
A spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District told the Palm Beach Post Tuesday the algae is widespread in the district.
But water management officials have been criticized for not doing enough. On Wednesday, it attempted to clear the air about the myths surrounding the algae. SFWMD officials outlined the myths versus the facts when it comes to blue-green algae.
In its email, the district said it took “extraordinary measures to decrease” Lake Okeechobee releases, including storing more than 2.7 million gallons of water in the A-1 Flow Equalization Basin.
The district also refuted claims that Lake Okeechobee releases are the “sole contributor to blue-green algae blooms.” District officials said nutrients and fresh water “can fuel growth of naturally occurring blue-green algae also comes from the local stormwater runoff and septic tanks. Algae blooms had happened in past years, such as 2014 when there were no lake releases.”
As for whether purchasing land south of Lake Okeechobee and building a reservoir would prevent this year’s bloom, the SFWMD said the “proposed purchase of agricultural land for a reservoir would have taken billions of dollars away from needed restoration projects and was a bad deal.”
“Even if the land had been purchased, a reservoir could not have been built yet due to a 10-year operating lease,” the email continued. “Any reservoir on the land would not have eliminated all need for lake releases and all possibility of algae blooms. Other projects already in the works will store water, allow more water to be moved south and reduce lake releases.”
The blue-green algae have been causing headaches for Treasure Coast communities, and on Wednesday Martin County declared a seven-day state of emergency. The state of emergency allows the county to take whatever action necessary to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the community.
7 comments
Lamont Eason
July 1, 2016 at 11:39 am
It’s not sensible to think Lake Okeechobee is the only contributor to the algae overgrowth. There is no denying that tens of thousands of septic tanks have put high levels of nutrient pollution into the water. This has been building up for years and every year, more homes and more businesses are built with more septic tanks.
Daisy Eloise Applewhite
July 1, 2016 at 1:09 pm
You can’t do much without the $$$. We need the legislature to allocate enough funding to complete “the projects already in the works” and plan long term for water storage and treatment north of Lake Okeechobee.
Kevin Love
July 3, 2016 at 1:48 pm
This is insane. There is video clearly showing the bluegreen algae coming directly from Lake Okeechobee. This has very little to do with septic tanks and very much to do with the pollution in Lake Okeechobee caused by the corporate sugar agriculture industry. Enough with the lies. Enough with the doublespeak. It is time that these polluters are held accountable for the damage they are doing to this precious ecosystem.
Ariane Suikki
July 3, 2016 at 2:15 pm
I call bullsugar. The nutrients from inflow into Lake O is what is ACCELERATING algae propagation. As well, the continuous release of massive amounts of water containing live microalgae into the riverways, The waters need to be FILTERED and CLEANED prior to release. Our nuclear plant on the Treasure Coast does a better job than you!
Rachamim Blum
July 3, 2016 at 7:08 pm
The discharges can’t always be blamed. Residential and commercial over-development on the waterways and communities on all sides of the lake have sewer lines that leak, septic tanks that leak and run-off from lawn fertilizers, all adding nitrogen and phosphorus into local waterways. Those waterfront homes with beautiful views have had cumulative effects in causing the algae infestation..
Maury Lee
July 3, 2016 at 10:44 pm
There is no reason to send the water South! Fix the issue in the North! We have more than enough room to contain it…
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