WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Army Corps of Engineers announced a plan to begin small releases of water from a bloated Lake Okeechobee in an effort curb the threat of a toxic algae bloom over the summer.
Audubon Florida scientist Paul Gray told The Palm Beach Post that the unpopular decision to release water to the St. Lucie Estuary may help South Florida and the Treasure Coast narrowly escape a cyanobacteria algal bloom this summer.
But there are no guarantees it will work and no one is happy with the decision, Gray said. “The lake is too deep. It’s actually way too deep,” Gray said. “Everyone wants the lake lower, but no one wants to take any water.” Submerged grasses, which are vital to the lake's ecosystem, suffer when the lake is too