Small blue-green algae bloom spotted in the Santa Rosa Sound near Gulf Breeze

Scientists in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are monitoring a small bloom of cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae, that was spotted Monday in the Santa Rosa Sound. 

The bloom was spotted Monday afternoon by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency employee in a boat about 100 feet off of the Oriole Beach Boat Ramp, according to Escambia County emails. The boat ramp is located in Gulf Breeze, across the sound from Gulf Islands National Seashore. 

Escambia County Marine Biologist Robert Turpin responded to the scene since Santa Rosa County's environmental department does not currently have a boat to go out and take samples.

Turpin wrote that he observed "small bright blue-green colonies approximately 1-3 mm in diameter" at or near the surface of the water early Tuesday morning. He gathered samples and sent the algae to several labs.

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Brent Wipf, manager of the Water Quality and Land Management Division in Escambia County, said in an email that the bloom tested positive for blue-green algae when observed under a microscope. Results from the samples provided to the labs should be able to officially confirm the presence of the toxin later this week. 

Blue-green algae can produce toxins that can be harmful to humans and pets if ingested. Less than two months ago, a Pensacola man said his dog, Duchess, collapsed and died shortly after playing in Eleven Mile Creek in Escambia County. The Department of Health issued a health advisory shortly afterward due to the potential presence of cyanotoxins in the body of water. 

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And last year, massive blooms of blue-green algae wreaked havoc on waterways throughout South Florida, shutting down entire bodies of water to swimmers and throwing ecosystems out of whack for months. 

But Chips Kirschenfeld, the Natural Resources Management director for Escambia County, said this particular bloom found in the Santa Rosa Sound is very small and doesn't pose a threat to humans or pets at this time. 

"There's no evidence of any kind of human health issues now," he said. "This is a small bloom, an isolated bloom, and there are no fish kills associated with it, so there's no indication that it's a human or pet concern at this point. But the Escambia County Water Quality division will continue to monitor the area to try to help determine what might be the case of the algae bloom." 

Typically, Kirschenfeld said, algae blooms are caused by excess nutrients in the water — sewer spills, pet waste, excess yard fertilizer, unkempt septic tanks. Officials plan to investigate the cause for this particular bloom and monitor it daily to make sure it's not getting any bigger. 

Annie Blanks can be reached at ablanks@pnj.com or 850-435-8632.