MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Thick, clumpy, and rotten smelling piles of what appears to be algae are moving into some of Manatee County’s waterways.
- Dept. of Environmental Protection testing sites on May 8, 9
- Source of smell is not red tide, but could be algal
- More Manatee County stories
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection tested a handful of sites on May 8 and 9, including the water off Whitfield Avenue, Cortez Village, and two locations on Anna Maria Island.
Jeff Mayper, who lives on Bowie’s Creek, started noticing the stench about a week ago.
“It’s worse than the red tide was last year, to me, because my eyes water more,” he said.
While it smells similar, red tide is not currently present in the waters off Manatee County.
According to the DEP, it is common when algal matter breaks down for it to produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which releases a rotten odor.
Parts of Sarasota and Charlotte counties are dealing with patches of blue-green algae. It’s not clear if the sludge in Manatee County is related.
Scientists are processing the samples taken from local waterways and will be able to determine what type of algae, if any, in present.