Lee County to declare state of emergency for algae cleanup

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Algae buildup in Cape Coral canals is causing concern among residents. Photo: WINK News

Chairman Cecil Pendergrass held a County Commissioners meeting Friday morning to declare a state of local emergency.

The emergency meeting will address the algae crisis that is currently plaguing Southwest Florida waterways.

A state of emergency will allow Lee County to use a grant funds to hire the vendor already under contract with the state to address areas that are most affected by the algal blooms.

This decision could finally pave the way for cleaning up the Caloosahatchee and the canals that have been swamped with algae for weeks.

The County put together a plan to tackle the algae including the following steps:

  • Declaring a state of emergency
  • County can then access state funds
  • Finalize paperwork to authorize grants
  • Leaders can also use $150,000 in county money which will not be reimbursed
  • Option to extend local state of emergency until their meeting August 7

WINK News reporter Janae Muchmore was live from one beach that is closed to swimming because of algae present. Watch the full segment above.

MORE: Sens. Nelson, Rubio introduce amendments to help with algae

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