90 percent of Lake Okeechobee smothered in blue-green algae bloom

Ed Killer | Treasure Coast Newspapers

Show Caption Hide Caption Lake Okeechobee discharges will halt for nine days Lt. Col. Jennifer Reynolds announced at the river coalition that Lake Okeechobee discharges will halt for nine days

The algae bloom is taking over Lake Okeechobee, the nation's second largest freshwater lake completely contained within U.S. borders behind only Lake Michigan in size.

A European satellite orbiting the Earth captured images Monday showing the algae bloom has grown to encompass nearly all open water on the 730-square-mile lake.

Researchers with NOAA estimated that Lake Okeechobee is nearly 90 percent covered by toxic algae.

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The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said the algae tested in the lake is toxic with microcystin.

Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers announced it would suspend discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the C-44 Canal for a period of nine days, which began June 30. Some water, however, continues to be released through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam in an effort to relieve the canal from local rainfall runoff. The Corps is scheduled to resume pulse style discharges July 9.

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To date, since Lake Okeechobee discharges began June 1, about 25 billion gallons of water has been discharged through the gates at Port Mayaca. Since May 15, about 50 billion gallons of water has been discharged from the gates at St. Lucie Lock and Dam into the St. Lucie River.