A poisonous algae bloom is plaguing four Florida counties, all now under a state of emergency.
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Mr Rubio and Senator Bill Nelson have also urged the US Army Corps of Engineers to stop the flow of water between the river and Lake Okeechobee.
Residents and business owners blame the algae on pollutants streaming from the lake. It gets into Lake Okeechobee, which then flows to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers.
And as The New York Times says, “When too much polluted discharge from Okeechobee hits areas downstream, the blend of fresh and salt water creates giant phosphorescent plumes of algae, making the water unsafe for human and aquatic life alike”.
A dead walking catfish lays on the shore with algae along Sewell’s Point, Fla. on the St. Lucie River under an Ocean Boulevard bridge on June 27, 2016.more +.
More algae is expected to come into Palm Beach County now that water managers are directing more algae-laden water from Lake Okeechobee into the West Palm Beach Canal, which discharges into the Lake Worth Lagoon just south of downtown West Palm Beach.
Toxic blooms can affect the gastrointestinal system, liver, nervous system and skin, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
At Central Marine boat docks in Stuart, pea-green and brown algae coated the water Thursday and smelled strongly like cow manure. Residents, who are complaining of headaches and respiratory problems and have been seen sporting breathing masks, are being advised to stay out of the sludgy water, as if they needed help figuring that one out.
“I would describe them as guacamole-thick”.
The nutrient-heavy water then reached the Saint Lucie Estuary and eventually spread to the beaches. “And it stinks”, said Gabriella Ferrero, spokeswoman for Martin County.
Chaney, the Central Marine receptionist, said Scott should visit the area, even if he gets criticized.
Brian LaPointe, an expert in algae blooms and a research professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, said water quality could be another impediment to increasing the southward flow. The Treasure Coast, under duress as algae closes its beaches, was so-named from the Spanish Treasure Fleet lost in a 1715 hurricane, and is a separate tourist destination from Miami and the Gold Coast region.
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As an “unprecedented” amount of toxic algae blooms continues to infest miles of southern Florida’s coastline and waterways, many residents have been left wondering how the problem started in the first place. An outdated dike system forces the Army Corps of Engineers to release controlled runoff from the lake to protect the nearby towns from floods.
