Joel Malkin

Joel Malkin

I've spent more than 30 years on the radio in Palm Beach County, starting as a deejay in the late 1980s. Over the years, I became a news...Full Bio

 

With Toxic Algae On Our Minds, Lake O Discharges Ramp Up

Massive Algae Blooms Continue To Plague Florida's Atlantic Coast

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is increasing discharges from Lake Okeechobee.  This after the lake's level has climbed to just over 14 and a half feet.  

The Army Corps prefers to keep the lake lower during the height of hurricane season.  So, the releases into the St. Lucie River are increasing by more than 200 million gallons per day for two weeks.  

The average daily discharge will amount to nearly 970 million gallons a day.  

To put it in perspective: Last year, Lake Okeechobee sat at 13.5 feet before Hurricane Irma struck and after the storm, it had risen to over 17 feet.

Of course, this ramping up of discharges has residents, business owners and environmentalists concerned about a ramping up of toxic algae into the St. Lucie River and other waterways on the Treasure Coast.


Photo: Getty Images


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