The Army Corps of Engineers is considering a request from Martin County to continue to delay freshwater discharges from Lake Okeechobee.
There have been noted improvements in some Martin County waterways since those discharges were halted June 30.
Martin County Ecosystem Manager John Maehl told County Commissioners Tuesday the 11-day pause from the Army Corps has allowed for an increase in salinity levels.
"The algae has not gotten worse. In some cases, it has gotten better. We’re going to request that they hold off on discharges for the remainder of this week," said Maehl.
Maehl says Monday’s emergency order from Gov. Rick Scottwill allow the county to look at non-chemical or non-biological options to remove algae.
“It doesn’t sound like any of these solutions are silver bullets or foolproof or 100-percent mechanisms but we believe it’s worth trying anything that seems responsible or safe.”
Stormwater runoff could be seen moving through the St. Lucie Lock Tuesday.
Steven Barnes says he’s seen this cycle of recurring algae crises for decades.
“The smart guys today who are in charge of cleaning this up need to get on it. All I hear year after year every time this comes up, all we hear about is this," said Barnes.
When it announced late Sunday night that it would continue to halt discharges from the lake, the Army Corps added the discharges would likely resume later this week.
