A blue-green algae bloom was identified in water discharging to the Lake Worth Lagoon last month with toxin levels high enough to trigger the posting of multiple warning signs at Spillway Park, a popular fishing spot.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection officials notified the state health department in Palm Beach County on March 22 that water samples taken in the C-51 canal upstream of where the releases reach the lagoon were tainted with the toxin microcystin.
The lagoon is receiving a mix of water that includes discharges from Lake Okeechobee, according to the South Florida Water Management District. The Army Corps of Engineers said Friday it was halting those discharges because of lake-level concerns.
A freshwater infusion was requested by the county because salinity levels in the brackish estuary were getting as high as the ocean, but it asked that the delivery not include lake water that can carry the ingredients for a harmful blue-green algae bloom.
“Of course, that’s not what we ended up getting. We took Lake Okeechobee water and with that came a cyanobacteria bloom,” said Reinaldo Diaz, founder of Lake Worth Waterkeeper, a lagoon advocacy group.
Kimberly Miller
The level of toxins measured last month were trace amounts and below what the EPA considers unsafe, but Diaz is concerned dangerous toxin levels could follow as longer days and warmer temperatures encourage cyanobacteria growth.
“If I know there is ANY microcystin in the water, I stay away,” said Florida Atlantic University research professor J. William Louda in an email about the toxin measurement. “Exposure to even low levels, over time, can lead to health problems.”
