As the potentially toxic microcystis (cyanobacterial algae) blooms worsen daily in the St. Lucie River estuary, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is essentially running for cover. Growing reports of diseased and dead fish, dolphins and manatees are in the headlines daily.

Since state agencies neglected to test the algae blooms when they first appeared in late June, local river activists and anglers took the bull by the horns, and sent away samplings of the microcystis algae to be identified, and tested for toxicity, which has already been confirmed in algae blooms on Lake Okeechobee.

At a South Florida Water Management governing board meeting Wednesday, water managers finally acknowledged they, too, are concerned that fish kills are likely due to decreased dissolved oxygen associated with algae blooms.

Army Corps of Engineers Col. Robert Carpenter, who was present at the SFWMD meeting, said “It pains me to make the decisions I have to make. God needs to contribute.”

We take it either he’s hoping for a miracle from above, or just an unprecedented September drought.

FS