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A leading Lake Okeechobee expert said South Florida and the Treasure Coast may narrowly escape an onslaught of toxic algae this summer, but no one’s happy with the fix and there are no guarantees it will work.
Audubon Florida scientist Paul Gray said he felt obligated to lobby for the unpopular decision announced last week by the Army Corps to begin harmful releases to the St. Lucie Estuary in the hopes of getting rid of water from a bloated Lake Okeechobee before summer’s warmer months when the threat of a cyanobacteria algal bloom is the highest.
“The lake is too deep. It’s actually way too deep,” Gray said last week. “Everyone wants the lake lower, but no one wants to take any water.”
Lake Okeechobee water release could curb toxic algae bloom
March 11, 2021 GMT
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) The Army Corps of Engineers announced a plan to begin small releases of water from a bloated Lake Okeechobee in an effort curb the threat of a toxic algae bloom over the summer.
Audubon Florida scientist Paul Gray told The Palm Beach Post that the unpopular decision to release water to the St. Lucie Estuary may help South Florida and the Treasure Coast narrowly escape a cyanobacteria algal bloom this summer. But there are no guarantees it will work and no one is happy with the decision, Gray said.