United States Of America

A state of emergency due to algae blooms in Florida

Swimming prohibited Due to toxic, stinking algae broth are several beaches in the US state of Florida has been closed. Governor Rick Scott called for three districts in the South-East declared a state of emergency.

The arrangement meets the counties of St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach hard. Because you count on the so-called Treasure Coast (treasure coast), a popular tourist area on the Atlantic ocean. The beaches were, of all things, locked in front of a long holiday weekend is always particularly a lot of visitors come. The US commit each year on the 4. Of July, their independence day.

The reason for the algae problem, the water discharges from Lake Okeechobee, which is about 60 kilometres away, according to media reports. The largest Lake in Florida is polluted by agricultural waste products and an 80-year-old dike system. In order to protect nearby cities from Flooding, is regularly drained the water passes through channels in rivers and sea bays. If too many pollutants are flushed out, causing the mixing of Fresh – and salt-water bloom in estuaries, a blue-green algae.

Thick green plants layer

This time the Problem is especially bad: The US television showed pictures of a manatee, which has had difficulty out of the thick green layer to show up. Assistant in boot watered with fresh water from hoses.

The organization “citizens for clean water” shows at Stuart Beach against the algae bloom

On Friday, Republican Senator Marco Rubio had visited the affected Region. In the case of a Tour on the St. Lucie River, he called on President Barack Obama to declare a state of emergency, in order to help business people who will be harmed by the algae bloom. The impact of the spread of the stinking plant for the tourism and small enterprises “catastrophic”. He could not recall a similar incident somewhere else in the country. Rubio’s democratic Senator Bill Nelson called on the Army Corps of Engineers to stop the water exchange between the St. Lucie River and Lake Okeechobee.

kle/uh (dpa, ape)