St. Lucie County Urges Residents to Use Caution Regarding Water Issues
ST. LUCIE COUNTY – The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to discuss the recently water quality issues impacting the Treasure Coast and the Indian River Lagoon, on Tuesday, July 5, starting at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Commission Chambers of the Roger Poitras Administration Complex, 2300 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce and will be aired live on SLCTV (Comcast 28/U-Verse 99) and streaming online www.stlucieco.gov/SLCTV.
At Tuesday’s regular County Commissioner meeting the Board plans to discuss the recent State of Emergency Declarations issued by Gov. Rick Scott and the Martin County Board of County Commissioners.
With the recently blue-green algae blooms primarily impacting Martin County, St. Lucie County officials want to remind residents to use caution when entering local waterways. If residents see algae blooms, please report them to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection at 1-855-305-3903 and online through an electronic form at www.reportalgalbloom.com. Reported information will be relayed to DEP, the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Fish kills or other wildlife impacted by poor water quality should contact Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) at 1-800-636-0511.
Additional information about blue-green algae can be found online at: https://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/aquatic-toxins/_documents/cyano-faqs-pio.pdf and https://depnewsroom.wordpress.com/south-florida-algal-bloom-monitoring-and-response.
Residents are reminded that they should avoid any contact with algae blooms and stay out of waters where it is present.
If you plan to visit beaches, please use lifeguarded beaches, as St. Lucie County’s Marine Safety Patrol will be monitoring the water for signs of blue-green algae and other hazards. If you see double red flags flying / posted at lifeguard stands it is indicative of a dangerous environment and swimming is prohibited. Marine Safety will continue to keep residents and tourists advised of any changes regarding the safety of our beaches.
St. Lucie County has three life guarded beaches:
· Pepper Park Beach, 3302 North A1A, North Hutchinson Island
· Waveland Beach, 10350 South Ocean Drive, South Hutchinson Island
· South Beach Park, 800 South Ocean Drive, South Hutchinson Island (weekends only).
Lifeguards are on duty from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For updates about beach/park closings in St. Lucie County, follow us on social media: www.facebook.com/StLucieGov and on Twitter @StLucieGov.
