Algae blooms lead to “lost summer” for Indian River Lagoon

By on January 20, 2014
Indian River Lagoon (Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, via Wikimedia Commons)

Indian River Lagoon (Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, via Wikimedia Commons)


The Florida Oceanographic Society is calling last summer a lost one for the Indian River Lagoon, according to Health News Florida. The lagoon sits to the east of Lake Okeechobee.

The lagoon saw several large algal blooms in summer 2013. Officials say illnesses like flu, lung infections or rashes affected some who got too close. The state health department deemed the water toxic for a five-month stretch.

Water quality in the nearby St. Lucie River also suffered, with oysters dying off en masse after blooms made their way downstream.

Image: Indian River Lagoon (Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, via Wikimedia Commons)

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