LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Toxic blue-green algae is spreading throughout Southwest Florida.

The Department of Health has issued warnings at various sites in Lee County, including Altamont Avenue, Northshore Park, Connie Avenue North, and Fort Myers Shores. Areas affected in Cape Coral include Jaycee Park, Rubicon Canal, Paradise Marina, Davis Boat Ramp, and Harbor View Canal.

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While some releases from Lake Okeechobee have begun, the cause of these blooms can not be confirmed. Most likely, these blooms are from stormwater runoff, causing an increase in nutrients and a decrease in salinity in the water.

Captains for Clean Water Co-Founder Daniel Andrews said this year’s blue-green algae hasn’t been too bad. 

“What we’re dealing with right now on a crisis scale…I would say it’s pretty low,” said Andrews. “It’s nothing like 2013, 2016 or 2018.”

But Andrews said depending on the weather, the current situation might be a ticking time bomb. 

“What we’ve seen in the past is that July is usually the worst month for algae. That’s when the water temperatures are highest; you have a lot of sunlight,” said Andrews.

“It really depends; if we get a lot of heavy rains in the next month, it’s probably not going to be a good thing for us,” explained Andrews. “However, if the rains kind of stay where they’re at right now or even slow down a little bit, we may be able to get past this. But it’s really too early to say.”

You can do your part to help mitigate these blooms by cleaning up grass clippings, restricting your use of fertilizers and picking up after your pets.