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Toxic Algae Blooms, Red Tide, and the Need for a Permanent Solution

Algae Bloom at the Alva Boat Ramp on June 25, 2018
Tom James - www.pelicanmedia.tv
Algae Bloom at the Alva Boat Ramp on June 25, 2018

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County recently issued a health advisory for the Alva Boat Ramp, Davis Boat Ramp, and Franklin Locks after water sampling found the presence of Cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, which can cause gastrointestinal effects if swallowed. The large algae bloom was first reported in the area about two weeks ago, about two weeks after the first high volume releases of nutrient-rich freshwater began flowing out of Lake Okeechobee. The algae bloom continues moving west toward Fort Myers, and the estuaries. At the same time, a large red tide bloom persists off the coast, with numerous reports of dead fish and other marine wildlife. This kind of news has become an annual trend in southwest Florida, as water managers work to keep the water level in Lake Okeechobee at safe levels.

We’re joined by three men who are advocates for finding solutions to this perennial issue. John Cassani with Calusa Waterkeeper,Chris Wittman with Captains for Clean Water, andPeter Girard with Bullsugar, a non-profit started in 2014 in Stuart, Florida that focuses its message on the need to acquire land from sugar farmers south of the lake in order to store, and clean more water before sending it along to Florida Bay.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HvKxy3sfCY&feature=youtu.be

Copyright 2018 WGCU

Julie Glenn is the host of Gulf Coast Live. She has been working in southwest Florida as a freelance writer since 2007, most recently as a regular columnist for the Naples Daily News. She began her broadcasting career in 1993 as a reporter/anchor/producer for a local CBS affiliate in Quincy, Illinois. After also working for the NBC affiliate, she decided to move to Parma, Italy where she earned her Master’s degree in communication from the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Her undergraduate degree in Mass Communication is from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
Mike Kiniry is producer of Gulf Coast Live, and co-creator and host of the WGCU podcast Three Song Stories: Biography Through Music. He first joined the WGCU team in the summer of 2003 as an intern while studying Communication at Florida Gulf Coast University.