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.
Crews work to remove toxic algae from Pahokee Marina
Cleanup expected to last into next week
The clean-up of the blue-green algae at the Pahokee Marina continued Thursday with crews wearing hazmat suits.
and last updated 2021-04-29 17:50:36-04
PAHOKEE, Fla. â The clean-up of the blue-green algae at the Pahokee Marina continued Thursday with crews wearing hazmat suits.
Health alert signs were posted near the marina warning people to stay away from the water. The important thing is we get the algae away from here, said Drew Bartlett, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District.
The cleanup of blue green algae at Pahokee Marina continued Thursday and is expected to last into next week. pic.twitter.com/SUSmXpuCsI Matt Sczesny WPTV (@WPTVMatt) April 29, 2021
U.S. Army Corps eyes high water levels on Lake Okeechobee amid algae issues
Col. Andrew Kelly calls Pahokee Marina algae bloom typical
As cleanup crews try to remove the blue-green algae from the Pahokee Marina, the Army Corps of Engineers is not releasing any lake water into the St. Lucie River.
and last updated 2021-04-30 18:38:48-04
PAHOKEE, Fla. â The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a telephone conference call with reporters Friday regarding water management for Lake Okeechobee and South Florida.
The briefing comes after a health alert was
issued Wednesday for high levels of toxic blue-green algae at the Pahokee Marina.
By Joel Malkin
Apr 28, 2021
The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County issued a Health Alert over the harmful toxic algae bloom that s plaguing Lake Okeechobee.
Health officials took a water sample on Monday from the area surrounding the Pahokee Marina and found it contains highly toxic bacteria.
A Florida congressman took a tour of the area on Wednesday. The smell. The taste. I probably spit ten times as I walked over there.
U.S. Representative Brian Mast calls the algae bloom at the Pahokee Marina poison and is pushing to make discharges of such toxins against federal law. He says words like poison and toxic are not hyperbole. The algae actually meets levels determined by the Department of Environmental Protection.