"The enormous algae outbreak that has coated swaths of Florida's St. Lucie River with guacamole-like sludge is a man-made affliction, arising from political and economic decisions made over the past 140 years.

Chasing dollars, Florida land developers and their government allies broke up nature's flow that used rivers, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades to move water south from central Florida to the Florida Bay at the peninsula's tip. That spurred Florida's economic growth, but it came with a price: Rivers and lagoons have periodically become so toxic with green and brown slime that fish die off, residents are sickened and tourists stay away.

The algae-laden runoff flowing down rivers and estuaries after this year's heavy winter rains has hit especially hard along the St. Lucie River nearing the heavily populated Atlantic beaches."

Terry Spencer reports for the Associated Press July 17, 2016. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"A Dreaded Forecast for Our Times: Algae, and Lots of It" (New York Times) [3]

"Miles of Algae and a Multitude of Hazards" (New York Times) [4]

"What's Behind Florida's Algae Bloom? Satellite Photos Reveal Clues." (Christian Science Monitor) [5]

"Why Are Florida's Manatees Dying Again?" (Christian Science Monitor) [6]