‘We don’t know what’s in the water’: algae blooms cover SWFL waterways

ALGAE IN CAPE CORAL

New video shot over the Caloosahatchee River between Fort Myers and Cape Coral shows just how bad the massive bloom of blue-green algae has gotten. Swirls of green slime are slowly making their way downstream.

And in Cape Coral, new images from Lido Canal reveal how the toxic algae is spreading, right behind neighbors’ homes.

“It was just sludgy soup this morning,” said Cape Coral resident David Webster, who shot the footage. “I scratched my leg before I got in the other day, and all I could think about is, ‘am I going to get flesh eating bacteria while I’m out paddle boarding in the water?’ You don’t feel good about being in the water.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to speed up repairs on the Herbert Hoover Dike, which should improve water quality in the long-run.

In a few years, there shouldn’t be as many water releases from Lake Okeechobee after an agreement was reached with lawmakers. The releases have contributed to the poor water conditions.

ALGAE IN NORTH FORT MYERS

Water conditions in North Fort Myers are also poor. The algae has been lingering for days according to residents who live around “Marinatown”.

Restaurant owners and businesses say the sight is unwelcoming and it’s causing a dip in sales.

Boat detailer William Alejandro, who works at Will’s Custom Marine and Maintenance, says the algae is affecting how he does business.

“It definitely doesn’t make me want to jump in the water and clean boats or get any type of water on me. It’s definitely a mucky situation, it smells, it’s not pretty and we don’t know what’s in the water,” Alejandro said.

People living near the marina say this is the worst the algae has been in decades.