CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- The latest water quality report from Cape Coral's city manager says no harmful organisms are present in the area's waterways, but rainfall runoff is affecting clarity.
The report, which will be presented to the city council Monday night, says that as of Friday, says high flow levels of water have been measured at Franklin Lock in Alva, nearing 5,000 cubic feet per second. However, the source of the water is from area watershed runoff , as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are not releasing any water from Lake Okeechobee at this time.
The increased water flows are however lowering salinities and affecting water clarity along the Caloosahatchee estuary.
Lake Okeechobee's water lever rose from 12.11 feet last week to 12.67 feet. Blue Green Algae is still present in Lake Okeechobee. But no toxins have been detected in samples taken along the Caloosahatchee.
Red tide was not detected in Lee County this week.
The report states that several freshwater lakes and canals have had fragmented tape grass floating at the surface. This natural phenomenon is being addressed by the Lee County Hyacinth Control District in collaboration with City staff.
