Special to the Lake Okeechobee News/City of PahokeePAHOKEE — This recent aerial photograph of the city marina shows some of the algae drifting inside and out of the dock areas. PAHOKEE — The …
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PAHOKEE — The City of Pahokee’s official Facebook page featured a notice July 21 from City Manager Chandler Williamson regarding the situation with algae swirling at the city’s marina and nearby on Lake Okeechobee.
It read: “This season the algae bloom has been one of Florida’s most active in and around Lake Okeechobee. Over the last several weeks, the bloom has been seen in many places on Lake Okeechobee and around the marina. The University of Florida Agronomy Department, UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – ERDC (Engineer Research and Development Center), have been studying the algae blooms at Pahokee Marina.
“The research involves deploying devices and other instruments to determine how to cure (resolve) the blooms during aggressive outbreaks. Unfortunately, the outbreaks after settling into an area of water begin to deteriorate (discolor and turn brown or blue) . The deterioration creates a peculiar awful smell very similar to that of sewage.
“For further information on this research at Pahokee Marina, contact the University of Florida, Agronomy Department, UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants and/or U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – ERDC by writing to them at 7922 N.W. 71st St., Gainesville, FL 32653; office phone 352-392-0335.”