Photo- Courtney Jones
Breaking News- From the city of Deerfield Beach-FWC Confirms Red Tide in Deerfield Beach.
City News & Events
Posted on: October 5, 2018
Advisory Update Deerfield Beach Receives Results of Water Tests
The City of Deerfield Beach would like residents and visitors to be aware that water samples retaken on Thursday, October 4, 2018, by Broward County in coordination with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), show low concentrations of naturally-occurring red tide. The County will collect additional samples next week, Monday and Wednesday, and they will overnight the samples to FWC to continue monitoring the concentration levels of the algae bloom.
To take a look at the FWC map containing the levels of concentration, please visit: http://myfwc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=87162eec3eb846218cec711d16462a72.
Meantime, the City will continue to fly Red and Purple flags, which indicate high hazard water conditions, and marine pests. Ocean Rescue has also added “Red Tide” to the boards on the lifeguard towers, and new signage indicating Red Tide will be displayed at the beach on Saturday, October 6, 2018.
Also, in an abundance of caution, the International Fishing Pier will not allow angling and will be closed to the public Friday and Saturday between 12 am, and 6 am.
According to FWC, the concentrations observed in this area are much lower than the high concentrations observed on the Gulf coast.
Red tide has been documented in Florida since the 1840’s and can be transported around the Gulf of Mexico as coastal waters move with winds and currents. Some red tides have even been carried by the Gulf Stream current into the Atlantic Ocean as far north as Delaware. Since the early 1950’s, red tide has been documented on the east coast eight times. Red tides on the east coast are rare and typically last for shorter durations than those on the Gulf coast.
Health and Safety
Some people experience respiratory irritation (coughing, sneezing, tearing and an itchy throat) when the Florida red tide organism, K. brevis, is present and winds blow onshore. Offshore winds usually keep respiratory effects experienced by those on the shore to a minimum. The Florida Department of Health advises people with severe or chronic respiratory conditions, such as emphysema or asthma, to avoid red tide areas.
For more information on Red Tide, residents and visitors are encouraged to call 1-866-300-9399 or visit http://myfwc.com/research/redtide/faq/
