Turns out that the neon-green algae bloom streaking the surface and shores of Florida’s St. Lucie River, Lake Okeechobee and Caloosahatchee River is not your everyday pond scum. Tests conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) have identified the blue-green algae as microcystis, a cyanobacteria that, when present in high concentrations, causes a bloom, that coats the surface and is typically blown along at the surface in the wind.

According to FWRI, water samples from Lake Okeechobee are toxic, which indicates that the cyanobacteria there are producing the toxin microcystin, which can cause acute and chronic illness in humans and animals. Common effects include gastroenteritis, liver damage, respiratory distress and skin irritation.

Further testing for microcystin toxin is ongoing in both the Caloosahatchee River and the St. Lucie River, where persistent, elevated counts of fecal coliform bacteria join in the mix.

FS