Photo: CBS 12
Blue-green algae is spreading on Florida's Treasure Coast.
More and more of it is being spotted by health officials in Lake Okeechobee and Mark Perry with the Florida Oceanographic Society says some of it is spilling into the St. Lucie Canal.
"We can smell it, even through the mask. That's real toxic levels so we don't wanna stay long here. But this is a really bad situation."
Perry tells CBS 12 News that boats moving through the Port Mayaca Lock in Canal Point are tracking the algae into the canal.
He fears what will happen if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decides to discharge water from the lake, into Treasure Coast estuaries.
The algae is blooming much earlier and faster than recent summers.
The Army Corps has said they will attempt to avoid those east-west discharges, sending water south instead. But with the lake nearing 15 feet (14.88), there are fears it could happen before long.