"Smell's so horrible:" Pahokee residents want answers after recent algae bloom on Lake O

PAHOKEE, Fla. (CBS12) — Despite the attention the algae blooms and odor has received over the years, residents living near Pahokee Marina & Campground continue to worry that nothing is being done to prevent another possible outbreak.

New video Monday shows the stagnant, harmful blue-green algae caking up near the docks.

The sickening smell coming from the growing toxic blooms is now reaching neighborhoods.

READ: Toxic algae intensifies on Lake O as water rises along with concern

People like Stephanie Osborne can’t even enjoy her daily outdoor exercise.

“The smell’s so horrible,” said Stephanie Osborne. “This is already a needy town, and then for that kind of stuff to happen and nothing is being done about it.”

We went to Pahokee mayor Keith Babb’s home to find out what the city is doing to mitigate the extensive amount of cyanobacteria.

He plans to meet with the South Florida Water Management on Tuesday.

"...To discuss this with us, to see if he has some input to try to solve the problem,” explained Pahokee Mayor Keith Babb. “We’re dealing with the pandemic, and this is another issue we’re dealing with.”

The foul smell also reaches his home.

He lives right behind Lake Okeechobee, just over the Herbert Hoover dike.

He also tells CBS12 News he is currently checking with the Palm Beach County Health Department to see if there are any health concerns. He says it’s a problem that requires patience and perseverance to fix.

“This is something that occurs annually. It’s nothing we can do to prevent it, but we are looking for ways to mitigate as much as possible, to control it as much as we can,” said Mayor Keith Babb.

Meantime, fishermen or campers are being warned to stay away.

“That is some potent stuff I’m smelling,” Dave Delmonte, who is visiting from Virginia and is camping near the docks. “First time here to visit Lake Okeechobee, and it’s my introduction for two nights.”

U.S. Congressman Brian Mast who has been vocal about the toxic water releases from Lake Okeechobee says this bloom tested 15 times more toxic than what's safe for humans.

The Army Corps of Engineers had planned to discharge some of this water, but decided to wait.

U.S. Congressman Mast says releasing the toxic water into rivers should be illegal.

In a written statement, he said:

If the Corps was discharging right now, they'd be poisoning us. Thankfully, they have made the decision not to discharge as a result of the current algal bloom on the lake, but with the lake this high, it’s doubtful that will remain the case for very long unless we make it illegal for them to do so.

The Corps has determined that discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie are unnecessary for flood control and that eliminating these discharges can be beneficial to water supply, the environment and more. So, there’s no excuse: it should be absolutely illegal for them to discharge when the water is toxic, and that needs to be our community’s unified message to their leadership.