A study published in the journal “Harmful Algae” suggests that human waste is a major contributing factor in toxic blue-green algae blooms that have occurred on Lake Okeechobee over the past 20 years.
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University say nitrogen from human waste in the northern part of the historic Everglades is fueling toxic blooms, which can eventually reach the Caloosahatchee River.
Development south of the Orlando area, near the headwaters of the Everglades system, has tainted waters there with nitrogen, the study says, mostly from leaky septic tanks.
“Our data shows that the nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio has been going up,” said lead researcher and FAU professor Brian Lapointe. “There’s a lot of nitrogen now coming from north of the lake, and it’s driven a change in the lake in the types of blue-green algae that bloom.”
So, not only is the nitrogen helping fuel blooms, but it’s also helping the type of blue-green algae that releases toxins into the water.