RIVIERA BEACH, Florida (30 Nov 2001) -- A researcher studying harmful algae growth on reefs off Florida's east coast said it's worse than anticipated and human waste is to blame. ''I don't think it's too strong to say we're heading for an ecological meltdown,'' Brian LaPointe, a senior scientist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort Pierce, said Thursday. For the last six months, his team collected algae samples from the ocean floor off Palm Beach and Broward counties to test for nitrogen, which indicates human waste. The reef-choking algae crowds out and smothers coral and overtakes good algae used by fish as food, causing the schools that usually inhabit reefs to move away. LaPointe said the results of the $75,000 study showed nitrogen levels were higher in waters off southern Palm Beach County than in the north. Possible causes were septic-tank contamination, sewage dumped into the ocean from pipes and treated sewage seeping into the ocean after being pumped underground, LaPointe said. | | But Carman Vare, county environmental program supervisor, said sewage may not be to blame. Vare said winds could be stirring up nutrients on the ocean floor that are swept into shallower waters. Another possibility is storm-water runoff, he said. LaPointe said he would seek more funding from the state Legislature to further study the problem and find ways to reduce the aggressive algal blooms. |
