top What causes blue-green algae blooms?
• Blue-green algae grow when conditions are right: when nutrients such as phosphorus or nitrogen are in the water and waters are warm and calm. That’s why blue-green algae are most common in Florida in the summer, with its high temperatures and abundant sunlight. • Blooms can occur at any time, but most often occur in summer or early fall. Blooms are less likely to occur during the winter. • Waters that flow slowly with low turbulence such as impounded rivers, dams, or water storages are at particularly high risk of algal blooms. • Recent active hurricane seasons churned up sediments in Lake Okeechobee that released a great deal of phosphorus into the water. Stormwater runoff from our cities, farms and homes also adds nutrients to all of our waterways. Some or all of these factors may reoccur.
