Your Waterkeeper at Work

Lawsuit Launched Challenging Feds’ Failure to Fully Assess Harms of Lake Okeechobee Toxic Releases to Protected Sea Turtles, Sawfish

Due to an unfavorable outcome to a Notice of Intent filed in December 2018 which was followed by a lawsuit filed in June 2018 against the USACE and other agencies regarding violations to the Endangered Species Act, conservation groups have now filed a notice of intent to sue federal agencies for failing to acknowledge the harms that toxic releases from Lake Okeechobee pose to protected wildlife like sea turtles and smalltooth sawfish. The Center for Biological Diversity, Calusa Waterkeeper and Waterkeeper Alliance say the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) failed to fully consider how the toxic algae and other pollutants from the Corps’ lake discharge harm wildlife, especially when they occur at the same time as red tide. Continue Reading

Waterkeeper Advocacy

Welcome to the Team!

Calusa Waterkeeper is pleased to welcome Nonnel Galaviz-Johnson as our Community Outreach Coordinator on our Billy’s Creek restoration study. Nonnel will be our lead, working under John Cassani and our Billy’s Creek restoration planning committee. Graduating with a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies, Nonnel's time spent at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) included Ambassador and House Manager positions with the Southern Scholarship Foundation (SSF) and a research abroad trip to Ghana. She was also involved in a pilot program between FGCU and MIT studying civic design and engagement, which led to her developing and presenting a workshop to students in Urban Planning at MIT where a strong network of practitioners and community leaders was formed. Nonnel says, "From my work in Action Corps and other organizing groups, I wish to assist in the process of mobilizing communities towards a more sustainable path for people and nature."

In the News

Rare Smalltooth Sawfish Sighting in Alva

It’s the marine equivalent of a Florida panther encounter: something so extraordinarily rare that even some biologists who study the smalltooth sawfish have never seen one in the wild. But for Megan Durling, it was simply an extraordinary bit of good luck on what was already a pretty lucky day.

Words from the Waterkeeper - Episode 12

On this Words From the Waterkeeper, John updates us on the uptick of cyanobacteria in Lake Okeechobee and surrounding areas along with a lot of macro algae building up. Plus, we’re still seeing high salinity levels in the upper Caloosahatchee estuary.

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Water Quality Updates

Caloosahatchee & Estuary Condition Report

Caloosahatchee estuary salinity remains high. Predicted rainfall did not materialize. In contrast to the USACE and SFWMD targeted flows of 650 cfs, estuary flows dropped by 72% to a weekly average of 189 cfs at S-79. The Caloosahatchee estuary continues to need flows to reduce salinity throughout the estuary. Only 36% of lake outflows to S-77 reached the estuary at S-79. Read More

Another small cyanobacteria bloom was discovered in the upper Caloosahatchee estuary and the cyanobacteria pigment phycocyanin remains relatively high. Water sample test results showed cyanobacteria species Microcystis sp. (large colonial) and Dolichospermum circinale (single strand). Both are capable of toxin production.

Celebrating 25 Years - Founded in 1995

CALUSA WATERKEEPER MISSION

To Protect and Restore the Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee to the Coastal Waters.