MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The Army Corps of Engineers is temporarily closing the lock at Port Mayaca after blue-green algae was seen in the area.
After one sample from the lock had trace samples of toxins, Martin County health officials sent out a warning not to come in contact with the water in that area.
On a hot day at Sandsprit Park in Martin County, there is competition between waterfowl, and watercraft and right now, the boaters are loving what they see.
“Crystal clear, winter time, nice clear water. Beautiful,” Daniel and Katie Friedman said.
Captain Bill Rostock runs Treasure Coast River Cruises. He also said things are great for the most part.
“I’ve been up the south fork and it’s starting to look a little murky and cloudy,” Rostock said.
About 30 miles west, it is, on the surface, a beautiful day out at Lake Okeechobee. However, what WPTV saw Tuesday on the lake surface, has given the Army Corps of Engineers pause.
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch is on the governing board of the South Florida Water Management District.
She sent a picture to the Army Corps Monday showing a streak of blue-green algae near the lock, the earliest she’s seen something like that ever.
Tuesday, the Corps decided to close the S-308 lock at Port Mayaca temporarily.
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“The Army Corps had been telling us that they are very worried that the lake could become algae ridden this summer,” Thurlow-Lippisch said.
The concern, as it has always been with the ecological balancing act, is when that potentially polluted freshwater from Lake Okeechobee makes its way downstream through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam and into the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon, toxic algal blooms can form in places where people boat, swim and fish.
Aerial photos also show it’s no longer blue everywhere in the Indian River Lagoon after a month of discharges, discharges the Corps said it must do to get the lake levels lower in advance of hurricane season.
Thurlow-Lippisch said she sees more cooperation among the decision makers.
“The relationship between the Army Corps and SFWMD has never been stronger and it’s best thing in world for making progress on our water quality,” Thurlow-Lippisch said.
In the meantime, boaters depending on clean water will be taking note.
“My livelihood, got a new boat coming. It will hold more passengers," Rostock said. "My business depends on good quality water.”
The Army Corps said it’s overall dry-season strategy has not changed and the plan is to continue to release water as we get further into the dry season.
