Smelly substance seen floating on Peace River in Punta Gorda

Something smelly is popping up in Southwest Florida. A viewer sent us a picture of what it looks like at Gilchrist Park in Punta Gorda with chunks of something floating on top of the Peace River.

Mark Cangelosi sent WINK News the picture of the stuff floating in the waters of the Peace River right near Gilchrist Park in Punta Gorda.

Cangelosi said if you think this looks bad, you should smell it. “Other than my own septic tank a few years back. I’ve never smelled anything like this. And I used to work at a funeral home. It wasn’t this bad,” said Cangelosi.

Cangelosi hoped we’d come and check it out and maybe find out what this gunk is. When WINK News arrived, we met Edward Cox, who looked at the water in awe, then disgust.

Cox said he thought the stuff on the water could literally be feces.

In January, a sewage spill in Charlotte County spewed approximately 20,000 gallons of wastewater got into a nearby drainage canal.

When WINK News asked Charlotte County Water Quality Manager Brandon Moody to come and take a look, he did and said it’s just decomposing algae and not dangerous.

“This is just cyanobacteria and macroalgae that is going through its natural processes, dying and decomposing,” said Moody.

Moody said he wouldn’t get in the water but said it’s not dangerous.

“We recommend that you stay away from any of this dead or decaying matter. But in terms of release of toxins or toxicity or airborne, we have no evidence that there’s any reason to be concerned about that,” said Moody.

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