Originally published on NBC-2 by Rachel Whelan on August 15, 2024
New images from a local environmental organization are showing shocking water quality conditions off our coast.
Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce is documenting our water conditions in the wake of Tropical Storm Debby. He shared drone footage he took in Matlacha Pass this week. The images show harmful algal blooms and fish kills are clogging up the estuary.
“Unfortunately, we had a major rainfall event. So you have had a lot of surface stormwater runoff that ended up inside of the estuary,” Pierce said. “But the other issue is that the water temperatures are continuously increasing. We’re around 95-degree water temperatures. That’s the perfect temperature to foster bacteria.”
Pierce took NBC2 to Matlacha Pass Thursday to see the conditions. The water was so murky, it was hard to see anything. However, you couldn’t miss the smell of decomposing algae.
Original Story