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Lawsuit Filed Over Florida’s Toxic Algae
The algae bloom at Central Marine in August 2016. Photo by Amy Green
Environmental groups in a new lawsuit are calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop Lake Okeechobee discharges linked with toxic algae.
The lawsuit is filed under the Endangered Species Act. It accuses the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of harming endangered and threatened species like manatees and sea turtles.
It says tens of thousands of tons of marine animals have gone belly-up because of toxic algae-fouled water discharged from Lake Okeechobee to delicate coastal estuaries.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Miami by the Center for Biological Diversity, Calusa Waterkeeper and Waterkeeper Alliance.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service also are named in the lawsuit. All three federal agencies declined to comment on the pending litigation.
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