High levels of nutrients in the St. Lucie River have fueled a blue-green algae bloom in the past few days, and according to officials at the South Florida Water Management District, there is nothing the agency can do to alleviate it.

At a Martin County Commission meeting last week, District Executive Director Carol Ann Wehle said, “I’m afraid it will not be a pretty summer for Martin County.”

By that she means that the floodgates at St. Lucie Locks will remain wide open for the foreseeable future, dumping an estimated 26,000 gallons of polluted fresh water from Lake Okeechobee into the South Fork of the St. Lucie River every second.

Local anglers and river advocates fear that a fish kill will soon follow the algae bloom, and that this setback could be even worse than an event in 1998, when massive releases caused fish kills and widespread fish lesions.

Record June rainfall is partly to blame for Lake O’s exceedingly high level for the month of June. In fact, at a fraction under 16 feet above sea level, that is the 4th highest June level on record.

This repeated assault underscores the need to hold the lake’s level lower throughout the year to avoid such massive discharges. The “Zone D Diet,” a lower-volume, constant water release schedule has been endorsed by the Rivers Coalition, and featured in past issues of Florida Sportsman. To read past coverage on the Zone D Diet, go to www.floridasportsman.com/confron/zone-d-diet.

FS