South Florida Sun Sentinel
Apr 27, 2021 3:51 PM
An alligator floats in an algae bloom in Lake Okeechobee near the Pahokee Marina on April 26, 2021. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Toxic algae along the east side of Lake Okeechobee led the Army Corps of Engineers to decide against discharging water this week east into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Corps is lowering the lake’s water level to make room for the heavy rains that come in the summer. But all discharges this week will be from the west side of the lake into the Gulf of Mexico.
A fish floating in an algae bloom in Lake Okeechobee near the Pahokee Marina on April 26, 2021. (Joe Cavaretta / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Algae off the town of Pahokee did not have high level of microcystin, the toxin than can cause bad smells and gastrointestinal problems, according to samples taken by the state April 12. But algae tested around Port Mayaca exceeded federal guidelines for the toxin, leading the Corps to decide against any discharges through the St. Lucie River to the Atlantic.
In previous years, algae flowing out of the lake has generated thick, pea-soup-like slicks that fouled beaches and ruined swimming in parts of Martin County.
An algae bloom is seen in the Pahokee Marina on Lake Okeechobee on April 26, 2021. Algae samples taken off the town of Pahokee did not have high levels of the toxin than can cause bad smells and gastrointestinal problems, although there is an area on the east side of the lake that led to scientists stopping discharges toward the Atlantic ocean. (Joe Cavaretta / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
