WAUCHULA, Fla. — The Florida Department of Health is reporting several blue-green algae blooms in the Tampa Bay region.
And now, after our long drought followed by heavy rain, the blooms are only expected to worsen this week as that rain may push runoff into the rivers, lakes and ponds, acting as nutrients for the algae to feed off of.
It's already impacting one business owner.
Owner of H2O Adventures and More, Ryn Johnson, said she noticed murky green water along the Peace River in Wauchula in May and alerted the Department of Environmental Protection. Samples from the water revealed blue-green algae.
Her business, taking clients out on the river and kayaks to search for fossils, is now on pause as she waits for confirmation that the bloom has cleared.
"I don't want anyone to be in jeopardy and have their health, safety and welfare compromised," Johnson said. "It's sad. I love fossil hunting and so it pains me that the river and the environmental concerns with the Peace are what they are."
The slimy, sometimes smelly blue-green algae blooms are toxic to animals and people.
Over the past few weeks, the Florida Department of Health alerted the public to multiple blue-green algae blooms in Polk and Hardee counties and said it's monitoring three sites in Hillsborough County.
According to Dr. Micahel Parsons, a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University and blue-green algae researcher who sits on the Florida Blue-Green Algae Task Force, the state is combating this problem from many different angles.
"I think one of the [technologies] that has gained traction that's established, would be these various hydrogen peroxide treatments, and they seem to be pretty effective. There's also mechanical removal of the algal biomass. There are also other oxygen-based measures," Dr. Parsons explained. "They all can help, but they will not remove 100% of the algae. And so even if you have only 1% left, if the conditions are favorable for growth, it'll come right back if there are enough nutrients."
Parsons said the Florida Blue-Green Algae Task Force is also looking at combatting the algae before it blooms.
"There's a lot of research looking at: Why are the toxic ones blooming? What conditions are causing them to bloom? Can we tweak things up the chemistry a bit so they do not? Ultimately, we need to reduce nutrients," Parsons added.
The blue-green algae task force says blooms typically peak in June and July when temperatures rise and nutrients in the water are abundant.
To monitor water conditions near you, you can find a link to the blue-green algae here.