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Toxic Algae

Discharges to the Caloosahatchee – good or bad?

April 18, 2024

After last week’s newsletter asking if our discharge crisis was over, we got lots of feedback from readers along the Gulf coast who said the answer was “no.” While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted discharges from Lake Okeechobee…

This is what a “Summer of Slime” looks like

April 5, 2024

Inspired by a recent photo essay in TCPalm featuring images from the “lost summers” of 2013, 2016 and 2018, we dug into the archives and selected the following pics, taken by Mary Radabaugh and John Moran (see individual photo credits),…

Whatever happened to LOSOM – and why is Big Sugar STILL trying to game the outcome?

February 8, 2024

Hm. Seems we remember this new “lake management plan” that was being developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Lake O… what was that called again? Oh, right — LOSOM. Whatever happened to LOSOM, anyway? As Ed Killer…

2024 will be a year to GET LOUD

December 27, 2023

2024 is about ready to rock and roll. And so are we. The Florida Legislature convenes Jan. 9 and session runs through March 8. Several dirty-water proposals have already been filed; more will follow. We’ll track them all, here in…

Wetlands protections, preserving local fertilizer bans top our 2024 Legislative Priorities

November 2, 2023

Another Florida legislative session is right around the corner, and you know what that means: More bad bills destined to result in dirtier water, more giveaways to special interests and good bills left stranded without sufficient support. It’s how we…

VoteWater Deep Dive: Get ready for the fight over fertilizer

October 5, 2023

New study based on flawed past studies could be used to justify permanent ban on fertilizer bans — leading to dirtier water One of the more dubious actions (and there were plenty) taken by the 2023 Florida Legislature and rubber-stamped…

Sugar spin ALERT: That mailer you got about septic was mean, green – and totally bogus

September 27, 2023

“Listen to the Science,” screamed the headline of the flyer that showed up in Martin County mailboxes (and perhaps elsewhere) last week. “SEWAGE is Killing Our Local Waterways.” The ALARMING WORDS were framed in multiple pictures of blue-green algae. Flipping…

Using tech to fight algae – so we don’t have to crack down on polluters

September 21, 2023

Another day, another “technological” fix for Florida’s dirty water. Today’s news story comes to you from the Indian River Lagoon, where Florida Today recently reported on how attempts to “harvest” harmful algae via a floating barge could make the lagoon…

VoteWater Deep Dive: Chemical treatments can kill toxic algae – but are they safe?

August 23, 2023

After several years of using an algaecide to kill blue-green algal blooms in Lake Okeechobee and the canals around it, the South Florida Water Management District now plans to test the chemical compound for possible damage to the environment. At…

Special Report: 10 years after the ‘Lost Summer’ of 2013, what’s changed?

August 1, 2023

Ten years ago today, we were in the eye of the storm. The discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers had begun May 8; by early August 2013 the “Lost Summer” was in full swing, with…

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