Closing the Okeechobee and St. Lucie Locks, even temporarily, would throw a wrench into plans cruisers traveling between the coasts.

STUART, Florida ‘” County officials on Florida’s Atlantic coast want the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the locks between Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River.

The Palm Beach Post reports (http://pbpo.st/28ZW5vN ) the Martin County Commission decided at an emergency meeting Tuesday to ask state and federal authorities to declare a disaster where blue-green algae has closed beaches.

The corps releases water east and west of the lake to relieve pressure on its aging dike. Corps spokesman John Campbell says those discharges are likely to continue as the lake’s water level has been rising.

Gov. Rick Scott said the federal government “has not done a good job so far” of directing water south of the lake instead of to the coasts.

State officials say specimens from the area show an “extremely low level of toxins.”

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And this from WPTV.com

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans on reducing the amount of water flowing from Lake Okeechobee this weekend due to the blue green algae problem on the Treasure Coast.
The lake level is currently at 14.90 feet. The Corps says that’s up more than a foot from its low for 2016 of 13.64 on May 17.
The Corps says it has been a challenging year.
`Our water managers have dealt with such large quantities of rain and runoff entering the lake that it would cover the entire state of Delaware in two feet of water. However, after visiting with local elected officials in Martin County yesterday and viewing the algae first hand, we felt compelled to take action, even though we need to remain vigilant in managing the level of Lake Okeechobee,’ said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District Commander Col. Jason Kirk in a statement.

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