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Algae building up at homes along the St. Lucie River


erin-530 algae.JPG
erin-530 algae.JPG
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"My husband and I's dream was to live on water," said Ashley Guzi.

A dream tainted by green algae.

"We have a beautiful back yard but we can't enjoy it," said Guzi. She lives on the St. Lucie river where "there has been blankets of green algae that come in with the tide. It’s not as thick at times but it’s always there."

That's why her two young boys spent the afternoon at the pool. "It's sad they live in a beautiful community and they can’t go in the water," said Guzi.

Even her dogs were stuck on land. She said, "I can’t let my dog go swimming. We can’t play ball."

She said even the local wildlife have abandoned the area. She said there used to be snook and trout, even squid and sting rays but she hasn't seen them anymore.

She knows with the water from Lake Okeechobee flowing into the St. Lucie Estuary, things are only going to get worse.

Monday, more than a million gallons of water from Lake Okeechobee is flowing through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam every minute. That's more than double what was flowing through on Friday. Monday morning the gate to the St. Lucie Lock and Dam was locked. The Army Corps of Engineers said it was not closed because of algae but it was closed due to maintenance of the lock for their manatee protection system, to make sure no manatees are injured.

She's asking everyone to report the algae when you see it so something is eventually done to stop it.

"Nothing is going to change until we speak up," said Guzi.

Track algae testing in Florida through an interactive map. Call (855) 305-3903 to report an algal bloom, or go online.

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