New images from a local environmental organization are showing shocking water quality conditions off our coast.
Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce is documenting our water conditions in the wake of Tropical Storm Debby. He shared drone footage he took in Matlacha Pass this week. The images show harmful algal blooms and fish kills are clogging up the estuary.
"Unfortunately, we had a major rainfall event. So you have had a lot of surface stormwater runoff that ended up inside of the estuary," Pierce said. "But the other issue is that the water temperatures are continuously increasing. We're around 95-degree water temperatures. That's the perfect temperature to foster bacteria."
Pierce took NBC2 to Matlacha Pass Thursday to see the conditions. The water was so murky, it was hard to see anything. However, you couldn't miss the smell of decomposing algae. Pierce described the smell as "Like rotten eggs. The sulfur smell is so strong in the air. We have a light breeze today, but it's just enough to really make the stench almost unbearable."
Pierce cites Lake Okeechobee and the removal of the Cetus lock as other contributing factors to the poor water quality. However, there are things we can do as individuals to help.
"You may think 'I'm one person. I'm not making an impact, whether good or bad.' That's not true," Pierce said.
He says we can all educate ourselves on the issues, follow fertilizer bans and be more mindful of our water usage.
"I really hope that people start understanding the importance and the economic value and what we have here before it's too late," Pierce said.