by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 23, 2019 | Featured, Science
In this week’s installment, Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani shares the latest bacteria readings from 18 stations in Lee County, updates on the blue-green algae bloom in Lake Okeechobee and upcoming events you won’t want to...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 25, 2019 | Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on June 25, 2019 The state is moving forward with a plan to clean up pollution in the Caloosahatchee River and its estuary nearly a decade after the standards were adopted. Florida Department of Environmental...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 24, 2019 | Featured, Science
Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani’s update on upcoming events, Caloosahatchee conditions reports, and information on cyanobacteria...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 8, 2019 | Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on June 8, 2019 The Caloosahatchee River estuary may soon suffer harm if daily rains don’t come soon. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managers cut flows from Lake Okeechobee last week to 450 cubic feet per...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 24, 2019 | Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on May 24, 2019 The seeds are planted for another blue-green algae outbreak in the historic Everglades system as the base of the marine food chain is active and temperatures are warming. Algae has been found in...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 21, 2019 | Press, Water Testing
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on May 21, 2019 With no fanfare, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers quietly closed a well-loved Caloosahatchee beach. This week, staff will start sodding over the sand that slopes to the river at the W.P....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 21, 2019 | Featured, Press
Originally published by FOX4 News on May 20, 2019 The weather is heating up and so is the water, and if last years summer was any indication, that’s not a good mix for water quality. Large amounts of algae were spotted near Franklin Lock and Dam this weekend, the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 20, 2019 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by WINK News on May 20, 2019 It is dangerous. But what can it do to your health? That is the question at the center of the water quality crisis. Now, researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are trying to get you answers....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 17, 2019 | Featured, Press
Originally published by FOX4 News on May 17, 2019 A resident in North Fort Myers posted pictures of blue-green algae in their backyard on the Caloosahatchee River on Tuesday. Calusa Waterkeeper found algae appearing on the river all the way from Labelle to North Fort...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 15, 2019 | Press
Originally published by WINK News on May 14, 2019 Not what you want to see in our waterways. Algae, which is floating down the Caloosahatchee River. The WINK News drone spotted some of it near the Edison Bridge in North Fort Myers Tuesday. Now, many neighbors fear a...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 10, 2019 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Policy, Press, Water Testing
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, April 10, 2019 So far, the Florida legislative session has not adequately addressed the nutrient pollution time bomb that leads to harmful algal blooms (HABs). Great sums of public dollars...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 10, 2019 | Press
Originally published in the Florida Weekly on April 10, 2019 A nonprofit clean water advocacy group, Calusa Waterkeeper, has created The Big Calusa, a week-long festival and cleanup. “All year long, we at Calusa Waterkeeper find ourselves talking about the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 10, 2019 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on April 10, 2019 A water control structure in southwest Cape Coral will be the focus of a hearing this week as some environmental and civic groups aim to keep the City of Cape Coral from completely removing the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 5, 2019 | Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on April 5, 2019 Some bills aimed at cleaning up pollution from old and leaky septic tanks are making their way through subcommittees in Tallahassee while others are floundering. Several proposed laws target septic...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 3, 2019 | Press
Originally published in Gulfshore Business on April 3, 2019 Calusa Waterkeeper has created The Big Calusa, a family-friendly, recreational, educational and cultural week-long festival and clean-up to reconnect the community in a positive way with local waterways. The...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 16, 2019 | Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on March 16, 2019 Two algae blooms that strangled the Southwest Florida coast most of last year have subsided and may not return for a few months. Toxic red tide and blue-green algae outbreaks last year killed...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 19, 2018 | Lake Okeechobee, Policy, Science
Our friends at For Truth Media released this video on the Caloosahatchee MFL and the harm it has caused the Caloosahatchee estuary the last 2 decades. Several local groups and municipalities are challenging SFWMD to have the MFL increased from 400 to between 700 &...
by Jason Pim | Dec 14, 2018 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, Press
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by Jason Pim, Calusa Waterkeeper Volunteer Ranger, December 14, 2018 Opinions differ in Cape Coral surrounding the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s permission to remove the Chiquita Lock. This aging facility...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 9, 2018 | Harmful Algal Blooms
Many of our backyards and favorite waterways in Southwest Florida are being impacted by blue-green algae blooms originating in Lake Okeechobee. Here’s Cape Coral resident and Calusa Waterkeeper Ranger Jason Pim’s...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 18, 2018 | Featured
Tape grass and other seagrasses are extremely vital to the Caloosahatchee Estuary, providing protection and spawning areas for dozens of species of sea life. Unfortunately, the high salinity during dry season has caused over 1000 acres of this invaluable plant to die...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 11, 2018 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, Featured, Planning
Originally posted in the News-Press as an OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper on January 11, 2018 The City of Cape Coral seeks a permit from DEP to permanently remove the Chiquita Lock, just as it removed the Ceitus Boat Lift 10 years ago with serious...