Originally published by WINK News on August 3, 2023 The Cape Coral city council has approved $300,000 to be used in the continuing fight against algal blooms. The money will be used to purchase additional bubble curtains and continued water treatments. In multiple...
Originally published by The News-Press on July 28, 2023 by Chad Gillis Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce says even small amounts of Lake Okeechobee water will infect the Caloosahatchee River with toxic blue-green algae blooms. Small amounts of water are coming from the...
Originally published by WINK News on July 26, 2023 Water infested with blue-green algae is not safe to swim in, play in or drink because of harmful toxins. Although, far less is known about what’s in the air regarding those same algae outbreaks. Nevertheless, one...
Originally published by WINK News on July 21, 2023 Water releases aren’t expected anytime soon directly from Lake Okeechobee, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Nevertheless, blue-green algal blooms are present on the lake, in the Caloosahatchee and along...
Originally published by The News-Press on July 20, 2023 by Chad Gillis A toxic blue-green algae bloom that’s been drifting around downtown Fort Myers has now spread to other areas, including the Cape Coral Yacht Club. “We do have an (air testing) unit near...
Originally published by The News-Press on July 14, 2023 by Chad Gillis A toxic blue-green algae bloom appears to be strengthening its grip on the Caloosahatchee River, as green slicks of the organisms are visible in downtown Fort Myers. “I’ve been seeing...
Originally published by WINK News on June 7, 2023 WINK News has spoken with many Cape Coral residents to address some pressing questions surrounding bubble curtains, which are aimed at reducing algae entering our canal system from the Caloosahatchee River. Are they...
Originally published by Pine Island Eagle on June 7, 2023 This month out of the 30 sites throughout the watershed tested by the Calusa Waterkeeper, 23% passed and 77% failed. One of the newest sites continues to unveil high FIB numbers — North Fort Myers Riverbend...
Originally published by WGCU News on June 3, 2023 We meet the new Collier County Waterkeeper, Ray Bearfield. Bearfield is a former fishing guide and educator at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, who first came to Naples in the mid-1970s as an editor of...
Originally published by The News-Press on June 23, 2023 by Chad Gillis Health official confirmed Friday that a blue-green algae outbreak in the Caloosahatchee River is toxic to humans and animals. “A bloom occurs when rapid growth of algae leads to an...
Originally published by NBC-2 News on June 18, 2023 Robert Halgrim was in his backyard canal off McGregor Boulevard collecting water from the Caloosahatchee River. He thinks it has been matted with blue green algae. Halgrim said, “I’ve had it bad enough back here that...
Originally published by The News-Press on June 15, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams From Naples to Lake Okeechobee and along the Caloosahatchee in between, algae is troubling Southwest Florida. A bloom currently coats more than 350 square miles of the lake; scientists...
Originally published by The News-Press on June 8, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams Lawsuits have been flying as the South Florida Water Management District and its fired contractor quarrel over a soured $560-million deal to build the C-43 reservoir. Yet work continues at...
Originally published by TC Palm on June 7, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams A week into hurricane season, as concerns over algae blooms mount, Caloosahatchee river-watchers don’t have to worry about Lake O making things worse – at least for the moment. Calusa Waterkeeper...
Originally published by The News-Press on June 2, 2023 by Chad Gillis Lake Okeechobee is more than a foot above its target level at this time of year, and heavy rains have fallen across much of the state in recent days. The big question for the Fort Myers-Cape...
Blue-Green Algae Blooms Spotted from Lake O to Fort Myers Shores Originally published by FOX4 News on May 26, 2023 Once again, Lake Okeechobee is covered with blue-green algae blooms. According to NOAA, algal blooms covered about 260 square miles on the ake,...
Originally published by The News-Press on May 26, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams Had they stared into a shaft of sunlight piercing the Caloosahatchee River on Thursday morning, boaters at the Alva dock might have seen spangles, as if the water were dusted with green...
Originally published by Waterkeeper Alliance on May 25, 2023 Today, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case of Sackett v. EPA and ruled in favor of the Sacketts and their corporate polluter allies, delivering a major setback to the essential protections...
Originally published by Fox Weather on May 24, 2023 by Andrew Wulfeck Residents and visitors to parts of the Sunshine State’s largest lake are being urged to exercise caution after harmful blue-green algae was recently detected by the Palm Beach County Health...
Originally published by WINK News on May 12, 2023 Algae swirling in the Gulf Coast is bringing a smelly odor to the air. It’s happening around the waters of Matlacha. “It’s almost a matted, matted surface that resembles a mud flat, but the colors are quite vibrant....
Originally published by The News-Press on May 02, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams Construction of the C-43 reservoir is on hold after the South Florida Water Management District fired the contractor for the half-billion-dollar-plus job. The district announced the...
Originally published by The News-Press on April 20, 2023 by Chad Gillis Experts say high loads of pollution are flowing to the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Oceans in the aftermath of a series of storms that brought summer-like rains to the Sunshine State. Several...
Originally published by Naples Daily News on April 19, 2023 by Chad Gillis Ray Bearfield was recently appointed as the Collier County Waterkeeper, a local chapter of a nationwide effort to protect America’s waterways. Bearfield, 72, grew up in Richmond, Indiana,...
Originally published by WINK News on April 11, 2023 The color of some of the mangroves from above? Grey – like the mood as we note the coastline’s defenses are weakened. The color of the sky this day, also grey. The new Calusa Waterkeeper, Captain Codty Pierce noted...
Originally published by The News-Press on March 17, 2023 by Chad Gillis The latest red tide to blanket Southwest Florida seems to be losing strength in Lee and Collier counties as higher brevetoxin counts have been reported in the Tampa Bay area in recent days....
Originally published by TODAY on March 10, 2023. Spring breakers are flocking to Florida in hopes of enjoying clear water and white sand beaches, but many are instead discovering red tide during their vacations. The micro-organism that causes red tide has impacted...
Originally published by The News-Press on March 9, 2023 by Chad Gillis Gulf of Mexico water temperatures are running on the high side this year, which could trigger anything from afternoon thunderstorms to early animal migrations. Various weather outlets say water...
Originally published by The News-Press on February 20, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams The name is a bit different but the intent is the same in a bipartisan bill reintroduced by Naples U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds this week: help algal bloom-affected communities get...
Originally published by The News-Press on February 16, 2023 by Chad Gillis A red tide bloom along the Southwest Florida coast appears to be spreading in size, according to state records, but some experts say toxic conditions may soon wane. The most recent reports from...
Originally published by WINK News on February 13, 2023 Red tide is a complex water issue, and scientists who study it are surveying the conditions that can trigger blooms—sunlight, water temperature, salinity, wind direction, and speed—to figure out how to mitigate...
