By Pam Wright
July 27, 2017
The Weather Channel
Florida’s Lake Okeechobee is once again turning an emerald shade of green as warm temperatures, abundant sunlight and frequent rainstorms have nurtured the bloom of another round of algae.
Officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Health Department released a joint statement last week warning residents and visitors to avoid contact with algae.
“The health and safety of Florida families is DOH’s number one priority,” State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. Celeste Philip said in the joint press release. “It is important to avoid coming into contact with any algae, and we do not recommend swimming or fishing in areas where algae is seen. We will continue to work with DEP to keep residents, visitors and local officials updated.”
DEP and Florida’s water management districts monitor Florida’s water quality and routinely collect algal bloom samples to identify algal type and test for toxicity. DEP has a website where it posts the dates and locations of samples collected, with test results added as they become available. Persistent blooms are routinely monitored and retested, according to the release.
According to the website, two samples tested over the past 30 days of the algae were positive for Dolichospermum circinale, a neurotoxin that can affect the central nervous system.
Dee Ann Miller of the DEP told weather.com Thursday that the new bloom is the same blue-green algae that hit the lake last summer.
“Some – not all – blue-green algae can produce toxins, and even those that are capable of producing toxins are not necessarily always producing toxins,” Miller said. “You also can’t tell whether algae is producing toxins or not just by looking at. That is why toxin analysis is performed to see if the algae is producing toxins and if so, at what levels – and why persistent blooms are routinely monitored and retested.”
The results of the July 18 and July 24 samples indicate that the algae sampled was not producing toxins at any detectable level, Miller said, adding that DEP staff were out in the field Thursday conducting surveillance and collecting additional samples if a bloom is observed.
“Those results are expected early next week and will be posted as soon as available,” Miller said.
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch posted to Facebook a video of the latest algae bloom near the Port Mayaca Lock and Dam, located on the east side of Lake Okeechobee at the junction with the St. Lucie Canal.
In March, scientists became alarmed that a repeat of the 2016 algae bloom was in the works.
Barry Rosen, a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, captured a snapshot of the bloom along a boat ramp at Pahokee, and the photo quickly made the rounds with other scientists via email.
“(It) looks like the mild winter is favoring early bloom formation on Lake O … or maybe this was happening at this time last year to this degree and was not observed,” James “Jim” Riley, an environmental engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers, wrote in an email obtained by TCPalm in March. “Would like to stay ahead of the news media on this situation.”
Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, are single-celled organisms that rely on photosynthesis to turn sunlight into food. The bacteria can grow quickly when fed by nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen that are abundant in warm, still water.
The harmful algae blooms (HAB) that originate in Lake Okeechobee come from the phosphorus-rich runoff that contains nitrogen-rich fertilizers and human waste from nearby farms and ordinary neighborhoods, according to the FWC.
As reported by weather.com meteorologist Kait Parker, reporter Marcus Stern and producer Spencer Wilking, in the award-winning Toxic Lake: The Untold Story of Lake Okeechobee, the tragedy of last summer’s algae bloom was that it was created by humans.
A combination of years of political maneuvering, insufficient water treatment facilities, a damaged dike system and urban runoff resulted in the disastrous summer last year for the state that relies on tourism.
“It’s the culmination of 135 years of engineering missteps, hubris and a determination to turn Everglades sawgrass into cash crops,” according to the weather.com investigative report. “Despite talk of spending $10.5 billion over the next two decades to fix the problem, a cloud of political uncertainty leaves it unclear when, how – or even if – the harmful algae blooms will be stopped.”
If ingested, water contaminated with toxic cyanobacteria can cause nausea, vomiting and, in severe cases, acute liver failure, according to FWC.
While there have been no documented cases of anyone becoming ill from drinking water containing these toxins, it remains a concern.
The Centers for Disease Control says coming in direct contact with the algae can cause a rash and some research indicates a link between long-term inhalation of toxic algae fumes and neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s diseases.
https://weather.com/science/environment/news/lake-okeechobee-toxic-algae