Stephanie Byrne

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday it will not do any releases from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River at the moment, despite the lake being at 15.24 feet. This comes as a sigh of relief this afternoon for many working near and living along the Caloosahatchee. Still the Army Corps believes it […]

Dark water has been spotted around Sanibel after recent heavy rain into the Caloosahatchee River. The Army Corps said Lake Okeechobee releases could also occur soon. The question now: If the water looks like this after local runoff, what would it look like after the possible releases? “Usually it’s got more of an aqua green […]

Specially trained military combat divers plan to score big at the Super Bowl in Tampa. Force Blue has teamed up with the NFL for its mission called 100 yards of hope, a year-long coral reef restoration project, honoring the NFL’s 100th season and U.S. military veterans. “It’s what they know,” said Jim Ritterhoff, the co-founder […]

The water levels at Lake Okeechobee, on the other side of the Herbert Hoover Dike, stand at 15.18 feet. This approaching the maximum height the Army Corps is comfortable with.   “I know I’m just one person, but it’s just frustrating,” said Doug Akins of North Fort Myers. Akins is concerned because he doesn’t want to […]

Bonita Springs Mayor Peter Simmons lives in the Bonita Bay community and keeps his eyes on the water. “This is a neighborhood issue that has the high likelihood of becoming a citywide issue,” he said. This comes particularly after spotting bright blue-green streaks in the water this summer. Simmons said Florida Gulf Coast University sampled […]

Combating our water crisis with a sensor. Researchers are creating a device to send through waterways to collect data. Normally, we try to avoid getting our gadgets wet. But in this case, that’s the whole point. “We can basically send it through sort of a storm drain system or through the stream channels,” said Dr. […]

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County says the algae in the Shaughnessey Canal in Cape Coral could harm the public. The Shaughnessey Canal, off Chiquita Boulevard, is the latest canal in Cape Coral to prompt a Cautionary Health Advisory. While there might not be signs of blue-green algae in the canal, it doesn’t […]

Researchers are developing a method that could later be used in a device to monitor red tide. It’s a technology that could work a lot like how you’d test the water in your pool. The scientists want to monitor toxins red tide can produce in the air. The memories of red tide are fresh in […]

A new survey hopes to help us further understand the impact of red tide on the economy in your community. We all remember the unbearable mess from two years ago, with dead fish lining the beaches. The University of Florida wants to know if your business took a hit because of it. The school is […]

Ocean Habitats, a company known for installing artificial reefs, is making a splash to help our water and the creatures in it. Pelican Ops partnered them to place “mini reefs” under a dock in Fort Myers beach Thursday. These artificial reefs can filter 70,000 gallons of water a day when they’re fully developed after about […]