PAHOKEE The bloom spread like an aging bruise at the Pahokee Marina this month, turning green goo on the water’s surface to shades of teal as cyanobacteria cells broke open, releasing toxins 100 times higher than what’s considered harmful to humans.
In the nooks and crannies along the edges of Lake Okeechobee, algae-sensing NOAA satellite images tell a similar story or show there’s potential for a blue-green algae bloom as summer days stretch and temperatures warm.
On Wednesday morning, Florida Department of Environmental Protection water test results from the marina came back showing 860 parts per billion, or ppb, of the toxin microcystin – a potent poison that can kill pets that swim in it and cause respiratory, skin and digestion problems in humans. A mid-April toxin reading of 120 ppb was measured at Port Mayaca.