Calusa Waterkeeper
In the News
States, Groups Challenge Feds over Reducing Wetlands Protection
More than a dozen states and several environmental groups are hoping a California judge will soon stop a move to open half the nation’s wetlands and streams to potential development and pollution. The changes, called the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, are due to go into effect on June 22.
How to Save a River at Risk? Calusa Waterkeeper Looks back at 25 Years of Working for the Watershed
On any given day, Calusa Waterkeeper members might be flying over the Caloosahatchee scanning for algae, sampling its urban tributary creeks for fecal bacteria, crunching water quality numbers or screening a documentary about the river’s health.
Experts Watching Area of Lake Okeechobee for Blue-Green Algae
Right now, there’s an area in Lake Okeechobee that experts are watching. What we wanted to know is if they think it’s something to be concerned about. An NOAA satellite map depicts bacteria concentrations in Lake Okeechobee with the bluish-green portion being an area of concern.
Everglades Restoration Project may be Delayed
A delay may be on the way after the US Army Corps of Engineers announced they want to “new start” the EAA reservoir. That project will capture and hold water from Lake Okeechobee and send it through cleaning marshes on its way south through the Everglades.
University Researchers Working to Pinpoint how Toxic Algae Blooms Affect the Human Body
Researchers are studying how toxic algae works its way through the human body and they continue to set their sights on Southwest Florida. Mike Parsons, a FGCU professor and Blue-Green Algae Task Force member, and Adam Schaefer of FAU installed the second round of air quality sensors in Cape Coral.
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 estuary of the Caloosahatchee.
Caloosahatchee to Get More Water from Lake Okeechobee as Rainy Season Approaches
For more than a month, the Caloosahatchee has been in trouble, after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cut flows to the river from Lake Okeechobee in April, following the driest March on record. But now, with the federal agency releasing more freshwater from the lake to the Gulf of Mexico, the thirsty, salty river will get some relief.
Blue Green Algae Spotted Along SWFL Beaches
A form of blue-green algae is appearing along Southwest Florida beaches. While it’s not red-tide, some researches have concerns. A sight Calusa Waterkeeper, John Cassani says, is not uncommon this time of year. “Climate change, all the extremes we’re seeing, rainfall, and temperatures, has kind of brought this issue out of the box a little bit.”
Is the Region in for Another Bad Algae Season? Scientists Monitor Blooms, Temperatures, Drought
With the height of algae season still months away, warm weather water woes are already starting to make their presence felt in Southwest Florida. Recent weeks have seen an increase in events “signaling an imbalance” in the region’s natural systems, as Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani describes it.
Rare Sighting: a Smalltooth Sawfish Swims Along Caloosahatchee Shoreline 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.
Lawsuit Launched Challenging Feds’ Failure to Fully Assess Harms of Lake Okeechobee Toxic Releases to Protected Sea Turtles, 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 failed to fully consider how the toxic algae and other pollutants from the Corps’ lake discharges harm wildlife, especially when they occur at the same time as red tide.
Cape Coral Taps into Reservoir to Offset Drought Conditions
A Southwest Florida city has turned to a reservoir in Charlotte County for irrigation water as drought conditions continue to plague the region. The city of Cape Coral is expected to start pumping water this week from an old rock quarry and into the city’s extensive system of pipes, canals and water control structures.