On Episode 9 of Words from the Waterkeeper, John is joined by volunteer ranger and avid angler Don Lees for a Pine Island Sound fishing report. John addresses the red tide reports in Collier County and shares upcoming dates for Troubled Water documentary screenings in...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on October 8, 2019 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing Lake Okeechobee water to the Caloosahatchee River again, but these discharges are expected to help the river and estuary. Lake O releases have been a...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, October 4, 2019 The growing but little-known water quality and public health problem that won’t seem to go away is that fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) contamination has become widespread in...
In Episode 8 of Words from the Waterkeeper, John is joined on the beach by water ranger Bradley Quandt for a SWFL fishing report on spawning snook and the resurgence of baitfish populations. John also provides the latest water readings on background levels of red tide...
In Episode 7 of Words from the Waterkeeper, John Cassani is joined by long-time Calusa Waterkeeper Ranger Jason Pim as they discuss the Four Mile Cove in Cape Coral. John provides updates on the microcystis bloom in Lake Okeechobee and red tide...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on August 30, 2019 When Florida’s blue-green algae task force meets next, public health will be first on the agenda. Hurricane Dorian postponed the scientists’ Friday’s meeting in Gainesville,...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on August 27, 2019 Tannin-stained waters are blasting out of some Southwest Florida passes as rain water continues to wash off the watershed and into the Gulf of Mexico. Water quality scientists and others worry...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis, Amy Bennett Williams and Karl Schneider on August 21, 2019 Hundreds of politicians, business leaders, agency heads and environmental advocates met Wednesday in Bonita Springs to try to find solutions to Southwest...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on August 19, 2019 The future of Lake Okeechobee releases will be guided by a group that’s meeting for the first time Tuesday in Clewiston. Called the project delivery team, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers...
We are grateful for the esteemed panel of expert scientists and medical professionals that followed our first screening of the Calusa Waterkeeper documentary: Troubled Waters. We filmed the complete Q&A session about public health and clean water advocacy and...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on August 7, 2019 It wasn’t billed as a horror movie, but “Troubled Waters” drew its share of gasps from a sold-out audience at its Monday night premiere. Calusa Waterkeeper’s new documentary explores last...
In this week’s episode of Words from the Waterkeeper, John Cassani provides updates on current water conditions in the region and talks about upcoming...
NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida Originally published by NBC2 News on July 31, 2019 The Army Corps of Engineers posted signs warning people of potential blue-green algae at Franklin Lock in Olga. It’s something Calusa...
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...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on July 19, 2019 There’s no doubt flesh-eating disease is one of the scariest-sounding threats out there, and as summer heats up, Vibrio vulnificus is back in the news. But should it be? Though it’s...
Originally published by FOX4 News on July 15, 2019 John Cassani flew in a small airplane over Moore Haven on Saturday and noticed the Moore Haven lock was open. “The lock was wide open. Which means the water can leave the lake and come into the river directly through...
Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani has the most recent readings from Lake Okeechobee’s harmful algal bloom and microcystin levels. He also shares updates on bacterial hotspots happening in some popular Southwest Florida recreational waterways. Additional Resources:...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on July 7, 2019 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now warning boaters about toxic cyanobacteia, also called blue-green algae, in Lake Okeechobee and the 154-mile Okeechobee Waterway, which includes the...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on June 27, 2019 Normally, summer camp at Estero’s Happehatchee Center would end with a splash party — canoe races and a water fight in the village’s namesake river. Not this year. “As a nurse, I am...
Originally published by WINK News on June 26, 2019 Waterways are contaminated with fecal matter, including creeks and rivers that are in some neighbors backyards. Anna Vasquez lives right on Billy’s Creek. She worries about people who consume fish and get into the...
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...
Originally published by FOX4 News on June 22, 2019 Toxic blue-green algae is slowly creeping back in to our waterway. And although we aren’t see thick green mattes like last summer, people in the community are still doing their part to educate others on the impacts....
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on June 19, 2019 The beginning of the rainy season brings with it a concentrated blast of nutrient-rich waters to rivers, lakes and bays as heavy rains wash off months of built-up pollution. It’s called the...
Originally published by WGCU Media by Mike Kiniry & Julie Glenn on June 17, 2019 High volume releases of nutrient-rich, and blue-green algae laden water from Lake Okeechobee last summer led to massive algae blooms along the Caloosahatchee River, in Cape Coral...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on June 15, 2019 A government watchdog organization says the state is purposely misrepresenting information about drinking water facility violations, reporting a high rate of compliance while the numbers are...
Originally published by NBC-2 News on June 12, 2019 Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the Lake Okeechobee water releases. “Try to bring urgency to the situation with Lake Okeechobee discharges,” said Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani. Cassani...
Originally published by The Cape Coral Daily Breeze on June 12, 2019 The Calusa Waterkeeper invites the public and healthcare professionals to a public water summit on Monday, June 24, about the health effects of harmful algal blooms. The event, called “Public...
Originally published in The Center Square by John Haughey on June 12, 2019 The summer’s first blue-green algae blooms on Lake Okeechobee were documented by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] last week, including a June 5 manifestation that...
