Algae spotted in Lee County waterways raising concerns

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CAPE CORAL, Fla.- Blue-green algae spotted in the water for a second day in a row at the Cape Coral Yacht Club is causing concerns over water quality and safety.

“We are real concerned about water quality, I mean water’s what brings people to our area,” said realtor Jeffery Miloff.

Miloff says he gets calls daily from interested buyers asking about algae and the quality of water in southwest Florida.

“If we start to see this green algae everywhere, people aren’t gonna go boating, they’re not gonna go to the beaches. Then why live in Southwest Florida? So it’s gonna have a huge impact,” Miloff added.

“We see no one, when it comes to our local leadership, striving for solutions,” said Jon Heim with the Southwest Florida Clean Water Movement.

Heim, who’s heading to Washington on Wednesday to speak with lawmakers, says the government needs to stop releasing freshwater runoff from Lake Okeechobee into east and west coast waters. Experts believe the water releases are part of what’s causing the spread of the algae which can be deadly to wildlife.

“We saw a lot of clams along the north side of the river near Cape Coral last week, dead, floating,” said Rick Bartleson with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.

“How can we have our beaches open?” Heim questioned. “One-hundred steps away from my right hand side where there is a bloom of blue-green algae and 100 steps to my left where young children are swimming in the beach with no signs posted.”

The City of Cape Coral says it will take action if the health department deems it necessary. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is awaiting test results from water samples taken last week.

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