Remember the Red Tide/Algae Bloom crisis that gain wide attention during 2018? It has been the second long-lasting bloom since 2006, although it is not affecting as wide of an area for now, it can still be seen on several shorelines.

One of the main issues that exacerbate the algae bloom lies within the Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee has long been draining an excess amount of water through its South end and served as an important role in nurturing the Everglades ecosystem. But this path has been redirected into a vast controllable irrigation/flood control system, for growing sugarcane and protecting properties within the region. During heavy rain or storms, fertilized waters will be pumped back into the lake to prevent flooding, which gradually raise eutrophication in the lake to a toxic level. The additional water will eventually be drained to the east and west coast of Florida when water level in the lake rises to the dike designed capacity, making the whole algae bloom at coastline and estuaries even worse.

Plans were made to deal with this problem, including strengthen the current dikes and canals, or drain the water back into the Everglades instead of directly into the ocean. But despite all possible plans, there will always be more problems to come than solved when people keep asking more from the nature environment.

For more details of the Lake Okeechobee draining problem, please refer to the following link: South Florida Sun Sentinel.  For current red tide status at Florida: Red Tide Current Status