U.S. Army Corps to slow Lake Okeechobee flows Friday

Naples

Ozzie, seated, and Brandon Perez fish near the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam on June 6, 2018. Perez said he's concerned about algae blooms springing up in the Fort Myers area.

The Army Corps of Engineers will slow Lake Okeechobee releases to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries starting Friday.

More than 6,000 cubic feet per second were flowing through the W.P Franklin lock Thursday, which is more than twice what's needed to damage the downstream estuary.

Seventy-one percent of that water was coming from Lake Okeechobee, which is experiencing algal bloom issues.

The St. Lucie area is dealing with blooms as well, and blue-green algae is being reported in the Fort Myers area.

On Wednesday Gov. Scott ordered the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to issue an emergency order urging the Corps to slow the releases.

More:Algae bloom on Lake O has groups, scientists concerned

More:Critics: State not doing enough to protect Caloosahatchee estuary

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