The blue-green algae outbreak is dissipating in the waters near Palm Beach, according to Deputy Town Manager Jay Boodheshwar. “We’ve seen a decrease in visible algae in the Intracoastal,” he said Friday. “We haven’t seen anything south of the C-51 Canal. Everything is north.” Coastal Coordinator Rob Weber inspected sections of the town shoreline Friday and Saturday to gather information for state officials. He reported Friday that the density of the algae in the lagoon has been “noticeably less” than previous days and conditions have not “visually worsened” near Ibis Isle, Sloan’s Curve and areas closest to the canal. On Saturday, he said he didn’t observe floating blue-green algae at the town inlet dock, Everglades Island, Sloan’s Curve, Ibis Isle, the Lake Worth Bridge, C-51 canal or Summa Beach. The reduction could be a result of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision Thursday to reduce the flow of water coming from Lake Okeechobee into the canal, and because of wind and rain. The canal empties into the lagoon not far from Ibis Isle, where a few town residents reported algae earlier last week. Palm Beach County issued a no-swimming advisory Friday at Peanut Island but lifted the alert Saturday morning after officials reported no trace of algae in the water. Friday night, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection released results of algae samples taken Wednesday from Summa Beach on the west side of the lagoon. The samples did not have toxins, according to the DEP. Weber said state officials will take more samples from the lagoon Tuesday. Results will be available on the DEP website.
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