Here is a pretty interesting explanation of the algae blooms that are occurring in Florida. Anytime things like this happen, Agriculture is usually gets blamed, right or wrong. Many environmentalists continue to even blame golf courses for these sorts of things. I'll admit, in the 1960's up until the 1990's, golf may not have been perfect. Did you know that golf courses comprise just under 1% of total grass area in the US? Think about that! That means 99% of grass planted in the US is that of homeowners and businesses. Homeowners can go to any home improvement store and get access the same exact fertilizers, fungicides and insecticides that I spray on our greens at HCC, provided they aren't a restricted use pesticides. Homeowners often tend to fertilize the sidewalks and driveway with these products in addition to the lawn. The chemical that isn't physically removed with a blower or a broom is swept away to storm sewers, come the next rain event. Storm sewers typically discharge into ponds, lakes or streams. Another example: Think about how many septic systems line the water bodies in Highlands alone! Many of these homes remain on septic systems because sewer isn't available. On Mirror Lake and Lake Sequoya, many of these are older homes, build in the 50s or 60s. Nutrient loading is everywhere and I don't think there is any one industry that is responsible for it. In the 1970's and 80's, laundry detergent was targeted because of high phosphorous content that led to algae blooms. Today, none contain phosphorous. In the case of agriculture, many farmers spread fertilizers and pesticides to bare soil as apposed to grass that has a dense root system to bind it up, use it and filter runoff. I think about Swan Lake and the different challenges the Club has always faced with it since it was constructed. Essentially, this water is supplied in the form of runoff from the Town of Highlands. Anything that anyone does above us, becomes our problem. Just like what we do becomes the problem of people below us. With water running downhill, it is critical we all remain good stewards and aware of the impact we have on the environment. Clean drinking water will continue to become a sacred resource as time goes on. It's something I take for granted here because of the temperate rainforest climate. If we all lived in California, it would certainly be another story. -Brian
Algae
Farms south of Lake Okeechobee are not responsible for the algae that has bloomed on the Treasure Coast. We would like to take a moment to share the facts with you.
The algae is blooming in the St. Lucie River and Estuary, northeast of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). Water flows south in Florida.
Growth of algae is a terrible, but common, occurrence during Florida’s hot and sunny summers, and nutrients in the water will worsen the blooms. The water flowing to the St. Lucie River and Estuary does not come from the EAA. It is from Martin County’s local runoff.
From 2011-2015, Martin County’s local basin runoff contributed 79 percent of the water entering the St. Lucie River. The other inflow comes from Lake Okeechobee when the Army Corps of Engineers releases water for flood-control purposes.
Almost all of the water, 97 percent, in Lake Okeechobee comes from the Kissimmee basin north of the lake. Over the past 5 years, only 3 percent of the water in Lake Okeechobee came from the basin south of the lake, which came during flood-control efforts for the Glades communities.
Compounding Martin County’s problem, more than 200,000 septic tanks line its waterways. A 2015 study by Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute said these septic tanks are the primary source of the pollution in the St. Lucie River. Rain washes waste from the septic tank drain fields’ into the river. Testing by Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Health Department has shown that the nutrients in the waterways come from humans not farms. These nutrients exacerbate the growth of algae, causing widespread blooms.
Media reports have also blamed Lake Okeechobee discharges for the blooms, but the South Florida Water Management District has noted there were no Lake Okeechobee discharges in 2014 when algae blooms similarly occurred on the Treasure Coast.
The EAA is regulated and monitored by the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as part of the Everglades Forever Act. Our water quality meets the strictest standards in the nation. We have a proven track record for the past 20 years.
Growth of algae is a terrible, but common, occurrence during Florida’s hot and sunny summers, and nutrients in the water will worsen the blooms. The water flowing to the St. Lucie River and Estuary does not come from the EAA. It is from Martin County’s local runoff.
From 2011-2015, Martin County’s local basin runoff contributed 79 percent of the water entering the St. Lucie River. The other inflow comes from Lake Okeechobee when the Army Corps of Engineers releases water for flood-control purposes.
Almost all of the water, 97 percent, in Lake Okeechobee comes from the Kissimmee basin north of the lake. Over the past 5 years, only 3 percent of the water in Lake Okeechobee came from the basin south of the lake, which came during flood-control efforts for the Glades communities.
Compounding Martin County’s problem, more than 200,000 septic tanks line its waterways. A 2015 study by Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute said these septic tanks are the primary source of the pollution in the St. Lucie River. Rain washes waste from the septic tank drain fields’ into the river. Testing by Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Health Department has shown that the nutrients in the waterways come from humans not farms. These nutrients exacerbate the growth of algae, causing widespread blooms.
Media reports have also blamed Lake Okeechobee discharges for the blooms, but the South Florida Water Management District has noted there were no Lake Okeechobee discharges in 2014 when algae blooms similarly occurred on the Treasure Coast.
The EAA is regulated and monitored by the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as part of the Everglades Forever Act. Our water quality meets the strictest standards in the nation. We have a proven track record for the past 20 years.