Palm Beach County residents are concerned after spotting blooming algae this past weekend.
“It’s my backyard. It comes off the C-51,” said James Sylvester, a Palm Beach resident. He explained that the algae started spreading suddenly this past weekend, coming in from the C-51 canal into the back of his house.
“Yesterday, it was all green everywhere,” Sylvester said. “The algae is getting worse.”
Many residents believe the algae is coming from Lake Okeechobee because it connects to this canal, and where algae is a bigger problem.
However, a spokesman from South Florida Water Management District said there have been no recent releases from the Lake into the C-51 canal.
Further down at the spillway to the Intracoastal Waterway, signs warn of possible algae in the water. The South Florida Management District is testing the water for toxins after concerns of local water quality.
Meanwhile, residents like Sylvester worry that the situation will get worse if water is released from Lake Okeechobee.
“Makes me afraid for my kids to play in here like I used to when I was a kid,” Sylvester said.
