| Algae blooms are another threat to the | | | | this? There are several projects going on |
| Florida bass population. The algae helps | | | | right now on Lake Okeechobee. Due to the |
| produce oxygen depleting bacteria which can | | | | drought, many areas of the lake are dry and |
| and has led to massive fish kills. These | | | | the water management team has been dredging |
| blooms often occur in the summer months where | | | | up the muck. See this article: |
| the water temperature is high and afternoon | | | | |
| thunderstorms stir the lake bottom on which | | | | This project will not only remove some of the |
| the algae feeds. | | | | fertilizer contaminated muck, but by removal |
| | | | of this muck the lake bottom will be harder |
| The primary cause for algae blooms is | | | | and promote good spawning. Unfortunately, |
| nutrient enriched water. The algae, which | | | | according to the article only 1% of the muck |
| suspends in the water, uses these nutrients | | | | will be removed. |
| to grow and propagate. So where do these | | | | |
| nutrients come from? They can come from | | | | The state has been working on dechannelizing |
| natural decay of existing lake vegetation, | | | | the Kissimmee River canal. What this would do |
| however a major contributor to the nutrients | | | | is to revert back from the man made canal to |
| is man made fertilizers. Both agricultural | | | | the original Kissimmee River flow. This would |
| and residential runoff produced during rain | | | | let mother nature resume it's natural |
| showers often end up in the lakes. Many of | | | | filtration of the water from the upper lakes |
| these fertilizers then settle to the lake | | | | into Lake Okeechobee. |
| bottom until winds stir them up which causes | | | | |
| them to suspend in the higher sunlit areas in | | | | What can we do? We need to minimize our use |
| the lakes water stratification. Then poof, | | | | of fertilizer and use it in a way to prevent |
| the algae blooms occur. | | | | runoff into our river/lake systems. If we |
| | | | don't start soon, say goodbye to our fishery |
| So what is the state of Florida doing about | | | | and hello to pea green lake water. |