Environmental groups ask DeSantis to declare state of emergency over Lake O algal blooms

Some Florida groups concerned about water quality are asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency over algal blooms.

“Harmful algal blooms are again threatening public health, local economies and ecosystems of Florida. Lake Okeechobee has become the Florida epicenter of algal blooms, and discharge of these toxic blooms from the Lake is contaminating the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers and associated waterways,” states a May 8 letter to the governor.

The groups cite recent health alerts warning of blue-green algae in the Okeechobee Waterway, Lake Worth Lagoon and other water bodies in South Florida. There was also a presence of the toxin microcystin, produced by blue-green algae, in Lake Okeechobee, which feeds the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers.

“The request is an effort to get out in front of what could potentially be a very calamitous situation here in the near future,” said Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani. “The bloom on Lake Okeechobee has been as spacious as 300 square miles. We’ve seen toxin concentrations over 100 times the EPA recreational guideline.”

DeSantis said during a press conference Monday afternoon in Hobe Sound that the water in Lake O is simply too high. He said his administration has dedicated billions to the environment, but you’re only as great as your weakest link. He blamed the Army Corps of Engineers for not releasing enough water from the lake as they did in past years.

The governor said the lake is now 2.5-feet higher than what it has been the last two years, and the Corps needs to reduce water from the lake during the dry season to places like Fort Myers that wanted it. He believes this is an opportunity to recognize that man created this abnormal way to release water decades ago from the lake and we’ll always have to be careful with our water quality.

DeSantis didn’t call for a state of emergency like the groups asked him to do Monday. He admitted it’s only going to get hotter and we’re bracing for the worst.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported May 1 that Lake O’s algae bloom had expanded to an estimated 300 square miles. Blue-green algae were seen on the lake’s surface as recently as May 3.

“Compounding this crisis, an ongoing Gulf of Mexico red tide bloom occurring since November 2020, continues threatening public health at locations nearshore and in back bays of Southwest Florida causing fish and other marine life mortality,” the letter states. “The ongoing Lake Okeechobee discharges to the Caloosahatchee River with high levels of blue-green algae could worsen the current red tide bloom by providing additional nutrients and acting as a nutritional source for the Karenia brevis dinoflagellate (red tide).”

WINK News on Monday had a crew at Barron Park in LaBelle, right along the Caloosahatchee River. Streaks of green could be seen on the surface of the water, and Cassani said it’s a cyanobacteria bloom and a big concern moving forward. We reached out to the Florida DEP to find out what kind of algae it is and if it’s toxic. We’ll let you know once we hear back.

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