Peroxide-Based Algaecide Pilot Program Underway to Combat Blue-Green Algae

More efforts are underway to keep our waterways in Southwest Florida clear of blue-green algae.

The state teamed up with Israel-based company BlueGreen Water Technologies Ltd. for a pilot program to take a crack at tackling our water crisis.

It’s a much different situation along the Caloosahatchee River and at the Franklin Lock compared to a month ago, when thick algae built up.

Now, we don’t see those thick, cake-like mats of blue-green algae, just some thin patches of green. But while things look good at the surface, the lock is still under a health alert, giving people reason to keep a watchful eye.

While you may not see algae forming on the surface, it can still be in the water.

As Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani will tell you, it’s not a cure-all for our water woes, “Well, you really can’t gauge success unless you have an area that we call a ‘control,’ that didn’t have the treatment. So if the control showed the same thing, as we’re seeing here, then you really can’t say much was accomplished. But we didn’t have that.”