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...
Originally published in Becker’s Hopsital Review by Kelly Gooch on July 29, 2019 Healthcare providers have a new medical code to document illnesses related to red tide or blue-green algae, according to usatoday.com. The new code, Z77.121, aims to help quantify...
Leading Researchers to Discuss Threat to Public Health It’s a problem we can’t ignore. Scientific evidence showing the health risks of harmful algal blooms in Southwest Florida waterways will be the focus of Calusa Waterkeeper’s “Public Health Alert – Florida Water...
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 12, 2019 Earlier this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged it has released water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers that has contained toxic...
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 by FOX4 News on July 08, 2019 Holley Rauen, a retired nurse and now volunteer at the Happehatchee Center in Estero warns a man about the contaminated water as he passes by on his kayak. She said she’s been on edge ever since a kids’ summer camp...
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 in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on June 25, 2019 After months of uphill battle, a recent Calusa Waterkeeper public health town hall started with a victory. As he took the stage at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers on Monday...
Florida’s DEP urged to include cyanotoxins in water quality standards Cyanobacteria, harmful algal blooms (HABs), and their root causes have been well-known problems in Florida’s waters for quite some time. The state’s first Harmful Algal Bloom Task...
Op-Ed submitted by K.C. Schulberg, Executive Director of Calusa Waterkeeper and published by Florida Weekly on June 12, 2019. What is going on with our water, and what is the potential risk to human health? The summer of 2018 brought historic, unprecedented and...
Feds Ignore Harm to Florida’s Protected Marine Species, Coastal Communities Conservation groups sued three federal agencies today for failing to address harm to Florida’s endangered species from Lake Okeechobee releases containing toxic algae. Today’s lawsuit,...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on June 11, 2019 Jevontae Jones knows Billy’s Creek isn’t clean, but on a June afternoon, that’s not enough to stop him from tossing a shrimp-baited line into its dark waters in hopes of hooking dinner....
An Opinion Column originally published in The News-Press and written by John Cassani, Linda Penniman & Howard Simon on May 27, 2019 The roundtable convened by Rep. Francis Rooney with federal, state and local officials about the public health consequences of...
Originally published by FOX4 News on May 24, 2019 The Environmental Protection Agency released new water quality standards on Wednesday, setting guidelines for cyanotoxin levels in the water. The EPA concentrations for microcystins are eight micrograms per liter and...
State Would be First to Set Water-quality Standards for Cyanotoxins The Center for Biological Diversity, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and Calusa Waterkeeper petitioned the Florida Department of Environmental Protection today to protect the public from...
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...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on May 20, 2019 Federal scientists plan a first-ever study of Lake Okeechobee fishing guides to help understand the long-term health effects of the lake’s cyanobacteria blooms. The Centers for Disease...
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...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on May 6, 2019 Governor Ron DeSantis will attend U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney’s multi-agency roundtable on harmful algal blooms at FGCU this morning. DeSantis will then join Rooney and officials at a...
A very rare opportunity was awarded to citizens, constituents and concerned parties of South Florida when the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) opened a six-week window for public comment regarding an upcoming revision to the Lake Okeechobee System Operations Manual....
Originally published by WINK News on March 29, 2019 Bacteria is contaminating water all along our coast. There is a new water crisis in Southwest Florida. It is not algae or red tide, but bacteria and fecal matter where we kayak and fish. John Cassani, Calusa...
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...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett williams on April 7, 2019 With toxic algae fouling Southwest Florida’s inland waterways and coastline last year, state health officials faced a flood of worried questions as people turned to them for crisis...
The ill-conceived Eden Oaks development moves forward with a Lee County zoning hearing scheduled for April 23rd. Calusa Waterkeeper (CWK) has opposed this development located in mangrove wetlands along Shell Point Boulevard in South Fort Myers. This is the type of...
Calusa Waterkeeper shines positive light on region’s top asset with a week-long celebration and clean-up of our waterways Southwest Florida’s water is worth fighting for — and celebrating. So, leading non-profit clean water advocacy group, Calusa Waterkeeper, has...
Please support Florida Senate Bill 1344 by Senator Janet Cruz, Statewide Environmental Permitting Rules. SB 1344 Background: Design and permitting criteria for non-point stormwater treatment in Florida have not been updated and codified since 2007 despite new criteria...
Florida’s 2019 Legislative Session is moving fast. Here are notes from Florida Waterkeeper’s weekly conference call: Florida Bills Discussed by Florida Waterkeepers on Friday, March 29. SB 7068 – Transportation Spending – OPPOSE Next Committee...
