Current Conditions
A patchy bloom of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists on the Florida Gulf Coast. Over the past week, K. brevis was detected in 98 samples. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in 37 samples: one sample from Pasco County, nine samples from Pinellas County, 18 samples from Hillsborough County, eight samples from Manatee County, and one sample from Sarasota County.
In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to high concentrations in Pinellas County, very low to high concentrations in Hillsborough County, very low to medium concentrations in or offshore of Manatee County, background to medium concentrations in Sarasota County, background to low concentrations in Lee County, and very low concentrations in Collier County. In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in Bay County, and low to medium concentrations in Pasco County. Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
Fish Kills
In Northwest and Southwest Florida over the past week, fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported in Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsborough counties.
Respiratory Irritation
Respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida in Pinellas and Sarasota counties.
Report courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Piney Point Report June 25, 2021
While the site received approximately two inches of rain this past week, all ponds onsite continue to be maintained within safe water levels. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will continue its oversight of HRK’s onsite water management activities to control water levels, respond to rainfall events and support water treatment. HRK will work with their contractors and DEP to adjust water management strategies as needed through continuous monitoring of current and future weather conditions.
Key status updates and response activities:
Approximately 200 million gallons are held within the NGS-South compartment. Pond level readings are expected to fluctuate due to a host of factors, including rainfall, water management activities and wind/associated waves in the pond.
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. 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. FWC continues to receive reports of fish kills in Manatee, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. 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
