Why the Blue-Green Algae Epidemic Affects More Than the Beach
Jason Marlow
Florida is under siege. Toxic blue-green algae, laden with cyanobacteria, is strangling our coasts and waterways. So far, the state of Florida has collected 1,700 tons of dead marine life with more manatees (over 500 this year alone) and dolphins killed this summer than any year in recent memory. Millions of dollars in tourism have been lost on both coasts and the governor has declared a state of emergency. As a state, we have officially reached a tipping point.
Our state cannot survive if this continues. Florida is dependent upon two major sources of employment: agriculture and hospitality. Both of these employment sectors rely heavily upon our environment and our water. Hospitality accounts for 10% of the states GDP and 17% of its employment force. Tourists have a wide selection of beaches to visit around the world, and no one will want to travel to ours if the water is toxic. In the Tampa Bay area, nearly 20% of all jobs rely upon a clean and healthy bay. Agriculture accounts for over 15% of the states GDP and accounts for about 14% of its employment force. This is also especially significant in Hillsborough County which is a top fifty agricultural producing county in the nation. Whether you are a strawberry farmer in Plant City, a commercial fisherman in Stuart, a waiter in Venice, or a bartender in The Keys, all are dependent upon our environment and our water.
Courtesy of the Huffington Post.
This crisis is entirely man made. In response to the unprecedented devastation of the Hurricane of 1928 which killed 3,800 Floridians, Lake Okeechobee in 1937 was dammed. This enabled the land south of the lake, with its incredibly fertile soil nicknamed “black gold,” to be turned into an agricultural territory for sugar cane and vegetable farming. However, this shut off the water to the Sea of Grass in the Everglades which historically flowed from Kissimmee River Basin down to Lake Okeechobee and eventually all the way south out to Florida Bay.
This tragedy is a caused by many factors but the main culprits are cattle ranching north of the lake, over development of the Kissimmee River Basin, unregulated septic tanks, and over fertilization of land used for sugar farming south of the lake. Cyanobacteria thrives in the nitrogen- and phosphorous-saturated water of Lake Okeechobee causing super algae blooms when under the right environmental conditions that can be seen from space. As the water levels rise during Florida’s rainy summer, the Army of Corps of Engineers is forced to release some of this toxic water through channels to the East and West coasts as to alleviate the pressure on the dams and dikes. This water is intensely dangerous not only to marine life but human life as well. The algae is so toxic that it can cause liver failure to exposed humans and has been documented as causing respiratory issues. Beyond the ecological and environmental crisis, we are watching a public health crisis unfold.
Though there are extensive plans for $18 billion-dollar Everglades Restoration project paid for by the federal and state government, this plan will not completely solve the issue. Former Florida Governor Reubin Askew once said “Ecological destruction in Florida is nothing less than economic suicide.” We must heed those wise words now before it’s too late. It is time for Florida’s political leadership to exert the courage and willpower necessary to be bold in the face of special interests and fight for Florida’s future.