HEALTH

With algae blooms and bacteria, where is it safe to get in the water on Labor Day weekend?

Tyler Treadway
Treasure Coast Newspapers
Blue-green algae washes up on the edge of the St. Lucie River near Harborage Yacht Club on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, as vehicles travel across the Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart. Highly toxic blue-green algae water pouring into the St. Lucie River through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam was sampled Aug. 23 and reported to be nearly 50 times more toxic than the level considered dangerous by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. To see more photos, go to TCPalm.com.

If we get lucky and stay dry despite forecasts of rain this Labor Day holiday weekend, lots of folks will want to spend some time on the water.

But with all the headlines about toxic blue-green algae blooms and the always in-the-background threat of enteric bacteria, where is it safe to get on and in the water along the Treasure Coast?

More:How's the Water? Real-time enteric bacteria levels across Florida | Map

Mean green

First off, the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon in and around Stuart are out.

A blue-green algae bloom sampled Aug. 23 at the St. Lucie Lock and Dam, where Lake Okeechobee water empties into the river, was nearly 50 times more toxic than what's considered safe.

More: Highly toxic algae at dam leading to St. Lucie River

No doubt a lot of that algae-laden water has made its way into the river, and possibly out to the Indian River Lagoon

Samples throughout the summer mostly have been below the hazardous level, and the water is nowhere as bad as the guacamole of 2016; but do you really want to chance it?

More: TCPalm's complete coverage of the water crisis

The lagoon is 156 miles long, and only the area immediately around the St. Lucie River is affected by the algae blooms.

Go north toward the Fort Pierce Inlet and Sebastian Inlet or south toward the Jupiter Inlet, and your experience on and in the water should be algae-free.

And if you're thinking about fishing on Lake Okeechobee, consider that satellite images from Aug. 21 (It was too cloudy to get good pictures this week.) showed an algae bloom covering about half the lake's open water.

A satellite image taken Aug. 21, 2018, shows a blue-green algae bloom covering about half the open water in Lake Okeechobee.

SCROLL DOWN: Past the map below for information on the beaches

Reach the beach

Since this is Florida, there's always the beach.

A blue-green algae bloom Aug. 22 closed Bathtub Beach; and Martin County's other beaches with lifeguards at Stuart, Jensen Beach and Hobe Sound were closed last weekend.

More: Blue-green algae at Bathtub Beach slightly toxic

But the beaches have been given the all-clear since then. (And the toxicity in the bloom at Bathtub was nearly low enough to drink.)

Before you pack the ice chest, fold-out chairs and surfboards, call Martin County's beach hotline — 772-320-3112 — for an updated report.

Beaches in St. Lucie and Indian River counties are, and have been, algae-free.

More:Questions about algae? We've got answers

Bad bacteria

Algae may be getting all the attention right now, but there are other possible dangers lurking in Treasure Coast waters.

Enteric bacteria, a sign of fecal pollution, sometimes shows up both on ocean beaches and in inland waters, especially after heavy rains.

An aerial view shows a foamy St. Lucie River on a windy day Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018 at Loggerhead Marina in Stuart. Toxic blue-green algae blooms have affected water recreation this summer, most recently closing Martin County beaches last weekend before they were reopened.

Contact with bacteria-infected water can cause upset stomach, diarrhea, eye irritation and skin rashes.

As of Thursday afternoon, there were no Treasure Coast beaches or river sites closed because of high bacteria. There were, however, a few places with moderate levels:

  • River Park Marina on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, Port St. Lucie
  • Leighton Park on the South Fork, Palm City
  • South Beach Causeway on the Fort Pierce Inlet
  • Carlin Park on the ocean, Jupiter

More: How's the Water? Check beaches, waterways for bacteria levels

Keep vibrio in mind

And everyone heading to the water, particularly the Indian River Lagoon, should be aware of — but not frightened by — Vibrio vulnificus.

The naturally occurring bacteria is not caused by pollution or Lake O discharges and isn't found in the ocean; but it thrives in brackish water such as the lagoon.

Vibrio can cause infections and, in very rare cases, death.

More: Florida vibrio infections, deaths increase in 2017

Chances of contracting vibrio are about the same as being struck by lightning; and "normally healthy people" are not at risk, the Florida Department of Health says.

The highest at-risk group: men over 50 with underlying health issues that could compromise their immune systems. 

The bacteria usually enters the body through an open wound, so people with cuts or scrapes shouldn't get in the lagoon.

Editor's note: Weather permitting, TCPalm Environmental Reporter Tyler Treadway will be kayaking and/or paddleboarding at an undisclosed site on the Indian River Lagoon over the Labor Day weekend.