Health department warns about cyanobacteria in the Caloosahatchee
The bad news: Toxic blue-green algae are blooming in the Caloosahatchee near a popular boat ramp.
The good news: We’ve been warned.
On Monday, the Florida Department of Health in Lee County placed a red-topped sign just steps from the water and sent out a press release after samples collected by the state’s environmental protection agency showed algal toxins in the water: “The public should exercise caution in and around Caloosahatchee River – Davis Boat Ramp,” the release read.
The announcement came on the heels of several blooms of the microorganisms, properly known as cyanobacteria, that were sighted by members of the nonprofit Calusa Waterkeeper in past weeks and shared on social media.
As awareness of the blooms and their potential health and environmental risks has grown, so have agencies’ public-facing responses.
“A couple of years ago, we had to beg and plead to get any response, and now it seems like they’re doing it a little bit more proactively,” said Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani. “And that’s good.”
So far, this is the only place in the county the department is cautioning people about, said spokeswoman Tammy Soliz, but the state’s Department of Environmental Protection continues to sample regularly.
On Tuesday morning, stale avocado-tinted water was lapping against the ramp’s seawall and boaters were lowering fishing pole-equipped craft into the river despite admonitions in the release:
Do not drink, swim, wade, use personal watercraft, water ski or boat in waters where there is a visible bloom.
Wash your skin and clothing with soap and water if you have contact with algae or discolored or smelly water.
Keep pets away from the area. Waters where there are algae blooms are not safe for animals. Pets and livestock should have a different source of water when algae blooms are present.
Cyanotoxins can cause diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Long-term exposure has been linked to fatal liver disease and kidney damage.
Further upriver, the water looked clear at the Alva Boat Ramp and the W.P. Franklin Lock, though a yellow-topped sign there cautioned visitors algal toxins might be present.
Though the ramp’s toxin level was “a pretty low number … they’re being extra cautious, which is good,” said FGCU professor and algae authority Barry Rosen. “You have an organism out there, and you don’t know if it’s going to start to grow, so they flag it.”
Since a devastating series of cyanobacteria blooms coupled with lingering red tide devastated the region in 2018, much has changed.
Shortly after taking office, Gov. Ron DeSantis made a sweeping executive order focused on water quality. Among its highlights: $2.5 billion for Everglades restoration and water protections — the highest level of restoration funding in the state’s history — a blue-green algae task force, a chief science officer position, phasing out septic tanks, putting teeth in environmental crime enforcement and creating an office of resilience and coastal protection to fund and coordinate response to rising sea levels.
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Cyanobacteria blooms often occur in the summer, when heavy rains flush nutrients from the land into the river. They’re less common in winter, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is still releasing polluted water from Lake Okeechobee into the river, and there are blooms on the south side of the lake, Cassani said.
The flows are a double-edged sword, because fresh water is needed to keep the estuary healthy and from becoming too salty.
Yet these "periodic releases of nutrient- and cyanobacteria-laden waters from Lake Okeechobee," worry researcher Paul Cox, who directs Wyoming’s Brain Chemistry Labs. Though he’s based out West, his institution’s research on algae toxins and neurodegenerative illness keep Southwest Florida centered in his work, which has been highlighted in scientific journals and the national media alike, including in Fortune magazine.
It can be awful stuff, Cox says. During the 2018 algae crisis, “We received calls from concerned citizens and some post-mortem tissue from their animals who’d fallen in,” he told the Naples Council on World Affairs earlier this year. “In the worst case, high levels of microcystin can cause death of a dog by basically dissolving its liver in as short as about 30 minutes.”
That’s why Cassani and other advocates would like the state to develop consistent, enforceable policies about testing and warning.
In the meantime, he says, “I just hope people will acknowledge it, and change their behavior to avoid exposure."
About Cyanobacteria
Is it harmful? Blue-green algae blooms can impact human health and ecosystems, including fish and other aquatic animals.
Additional information on potential health effects of algal blooms can be found on the Florida Department of Health Aquatic Toxins website.
Find current information about Florida’s water quality status and public health notifications for harmful algal blooms and beach conditions by visiting ProtectingFloridaTogether.gov. Protecting Florida Together is the state’s joint effort to provide statewide water quality information to prioritize environmental transparency and commitment to action.
What do I do if I see an algal bloom? The Florida Department of Environmental Protection collects and analyzes algal bloom samples. To report a bloom to DEP, call the toll-free hotline at 855-305-3903 or report online.
To report fish kills, cotact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute at 1-800-636-0511.
Report symptoms from exposure to a harmful algal bloom or any aquatic toxin to the Florida Poison Information Center, call 1-800-222-1222 to speak to a poison specialist immediately.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Health department warns about cyanobacteria in the Caloosahatchee
