Every night Tim Robinson sleeps in his boat, which floats atop a blanket of foul-smelling bright green slime.
For houseboat dwellers like Robinson, the toxic algae bloom spreading through Florida’s Lake Okeechobee in the US – the second-largest freshwater lake there – is more than just unpleasant. It’s alarming.
“We don’t know if we should be breathing this,” the 53-year-old Stuart resident said. “I sleep on top of it every night.” Robinson’s two teenage boys haven’t stayed with their father in two weeks for fear of the algae’s effects.
“It’s so depressing,” he said. “Everything we do is in the water and on the water.”
Stuart, a town on east Florida’s Treasure Coast, is about 175km north of Miami. It’s often cited as one of the US’ best small tourist towns, particularly for its tropical climate and proximity to the St Lucie River.
The turquoise canals, streams and lakes that zigzag among Stuart’s islands make this small town a nirvana for beachcombers and water sport lovers.
But the thick layer of slimy blue-green algae – also called cyanobacteria – coating the water and smelling of sewage has dampened the town’s appeal.
The putrid algal blooms, which appear mornings and evenings with the rising tide, are toxic and can cause rashes and respiratory problems. In addition, its unsexy appearance of rotten porridge and smell of ammonia frightens tourists.
“The economic consequences are grave and ongoing,” said Sarah Heard, the commissioner of Martin County, the district that includes Stuart.
During the Fourth of July holiday weekend in the US, several beaches were closed because of the algae infestation. The bacteria’s proliferation has already started hurting businesses that rent kayaks, paddles and water skis.
“Marine-dependent businesses have failed, and more will collapse in this emergency,” said the commissioner.
Recently, the state’s governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in the counties of St Lucie, Palm Beach and Martin in east Florida. All these counties have waterways that take excess drainwater from the central Lake Okeechobee.
Much of the problem in rivers of the area stems from the fact that the lake’s ageing dike is too weak to manage high lake water levels. During the rainy summer season authorities must therefore pump water out of the lake into nearby rivers, ensuring that the algae will spread, as it has been doing since mid-May.
Scott has also urged US President Barack Obama to declare a federal emergency over the spread of the algae blooms – blaming federal authorities for the condition of the dike.
According to studies by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, some affected areas have 38 times the maximum limit of cyanobacteria accepted by the World Health Organization, 10 micrograms per liter.
The organism occurs naturally, but its growth is exacerbated by an influx of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, commonly found in agricultural fertilisers.
“When you supply phosphorus and nitrogen, algae grows and reproduces exponentially, causing a bloom,” said Henry Briceno, a geologist at Florida International University.
Briceno told AFP that the fertilisers used in the area for farming, gardens and golf courses are to blame for an excess of phosphorus in the lake.
The toxic bacteria outbreak poses threats to human health and the area’s economy, but for aquatic life, cyanobacteria can prove fatal.
The thick sludge suffocates seagrasses by blocking sunlight from penetrating the water. Algae also kills sponges, oysters and other sea creatures integral to water filtration.
“There comes a time when the water can no longer sustain life,” said Briceno.
Source: AFP
