- Salinity ranges might start to drop
Lake Okeechobee discharges have resumed at Port Mayaca Lock & Dam, in accordance with the Military Corps of Engineers. Discharges halted for 2 days due to the presence of cyanobacteria on the lake aspect of the dam gates.
on Feb. 22, the Florida Dept. of Environmental Safety measured microcystin, a toxin present in cyanobacteria which is launched when it degrades and dies, at 0.62 elements per billion. Microcystin at 8 ppb is dangerous to mammals, in accordance with the Environmental Safety Company. on Feb. 28, discharges had been halted.
At 8:30 am March 2, discharges resumed, a Corps spokesperson confirmed. No algae was seen and crews from the South Florida Water Administration District handled the world anyway with algicide, mentioned the Corps’ Erica Skolte in an e-mail to TCPalm.
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Discharges initially started Jan. 22 when Jacksonville District Commander Col. James Sales space mentioned the company needed to decrease the extent of Lake Okeechobee. After 37 days of discharges, the lake stage dropped 7 inches to fifteen toes 6 inches above sea stage. The Corps needs the lake to be at 12 toes 6 inches by June 1, the beginning of hurricane season.
“There have been no seen indicators of algae on the (Port Mayaca Lake & Dam) construction this morning. Check outcomes obtained (Wednesday) afternoon from SFWMD indicated Microcystin ranges beneath the detection restrict of 0.2 ppb. SFWMD crews obtained with peroxide-based algaecide yesterday afternoon at lock and on lakeside, and their crews had been out and sampled once more this morning,” Skolte mentioned.
The speed of the discharges will resume to about 320 million gallons per day. Discharges to the west into the Caloosahatchee River have been at a price of 1.29 billion gallons per day since January. There are various high-volume water customers alongside the C-44 Canal. The SFWMD mentioned that Caulkins Water Farm is pumping its full capability, storing 4.6 billion gallons on its land. As a lot as 38 billion gallons can be utilized by farms alongside the canal, in accordance with SFWMD spokesperson Jason Schultz,
Restricted water is being moved onto the C-44 Reservoir and STA as a result of it’s nonetheless in its operational testing mode since opening in November 2021. When it comes on-line, it could possibly transfer 700 million gallons per time out of the canal that empties into the St. . Lucie River.
The re-opening of the Port Mayaca gates didn’t sit nicely with environmental advocates in Stuart.
“The US Military Corps is knowingly releasing poisonous Blue Inexperienced Algae into the St. Lucie Canal. That is unacceptable each from a human well being perspective and for the well being of our waters and wildlife. The water from Lake Okeechobee ought to be going south to the Everglades the place it’s wanted,” mentioned Mark Perry, government director of the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart.
Ed Killer is a columnist with TCPalm. E mail him at [email protected].