Current Conditions
The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists in Southwest Florida, where it was detected in 56 samples over the past week. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in one sample from Sarasota County, nine samples from Charlotte County, and one sample from Collier County. K. brevis was also observed at background concentrations in one sample from the Florida East Coast. Additional details are provided below.
In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to low concentrations in Manatee County, background to medium concentrations in Sarasota County, low to high concentrations in Charlotte County, background to low concentrations in or offshore of Lee County, background to medium concentrations in or offshore of Collier County, and very low to low concentrations offshore of Monroe County.
In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample in Volusia County.
Fish Kills
In Southwest Florida over the past week, fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported in Sarasota and Charlotte counties.
Respiratory Irritation
Respiratory irritation was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida in Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties.
Report courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
PINEY POINT REGIONAL NOTIFICATION
DEP continues to monitor the temporary repairs to the liner seam-separation in NGS-South compartment. The steel plate, stone aggregate and geo-composite material continue to minimize concentrated seepage, and remains contained onsite.
Key status updates and response activities:
Discharges to Port Manatee ceased April 9, 2021, and have not resumed at this time. It remains DEP’s priority, if possible, to ensure any future necessary discharges are pre-treated to minimize ecological impacts.
DEP has been methodically relocating water among the lined storage basins onsite to safely manage water, respond to rainfall events and initiate water treatment. Water levels can be expected to fluctuate daily due to these water management activities, as well as evaporation.
Approximately 198 million gallons remain in the NGS-South compartment.
DEP continues to monitor and sample surrounding waterways following previous discharges. DEP’s interactive water quality dashboard details sampling locations and corresponding results to evaluate any environmental impact. Sampling results to date currently range between non-detect to normal/background levels. Results will continue to be posted as soon as they are available.
DEP is also working collaboratively with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) and local governments to cover more area and collect more data.
DEP continues working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Florida Department of Health to monitor algal blooms and water quality in the area. Currently, FWC sampling results in the localized area of discharges in Manatee County remain within the range of non-detect to low concentrations of K. brevis (a species of red tide).There are no reported fish kills in this area. FWC is the lead agency on red tide and will continue to update conditions on their website.
Piney Point report courtesy of Protecting Florida Together
