State of Science report is hopeful start to bringing together scientists to fight water crisis

Reporter: Stephanie Byrne
Published: Updated:
State of Science report (WINK News)

Sometimes solving problems as complex as what plagues our water starts with just agreeing on what questions to ask.

Pam Henry and her dog Daisy enjoy Charlotte County living.

“We kind of purposely live farther from the beaches to avoid the crowding,” she said.

Although she lives away from the coast, she’s well aware of our water crisis.

“I’m kind of cognizant of the septic issues that we have,” she said.

Experts believe one way to prevent harmful algal blooms is to control the flow of nutrients into our waterways, some of which come from faulty septic tanks.

That’s just part of the conservation surrounding both blue-green algae and red tide.

Dr. Barry Rosen and Betty Staugler are two of the scientists who contributed to this State of Science report.

“I think this report is a beginning of the coordination effort among the various scientists,” Rosen said.

“The scientists were in pretty good agreement on the initiation of the blooms, what types of nutrients the blooms are utilizing,” Staugler said, but there are still some lingering questions.

“The need for more information on BMAA…particularly as it relates to blue-green algae and some of the neurological diseases that may be associated with that,” she said.

As for Pam, “Somehow we have to get people to understand the impact of how we live on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

Protecting our environment comes down to awareness.

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