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Algae Facebook group making a difference

Posted at 7:31 PM, Jul 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-11 19:32:24-04

The 2018 water crisis has gotten a lot of attention.

Part of that may be because of good documentation of algae blooms in our waterways particularly one Facebook page.

For a month now, the photos have been coming in and the audience grows day after day.

"5,400 members," said Jennie Pawlowsky.

Jennie is a co-founder of the Toxic 18' Facebook page. It's a place to document the water crisis.

"Like that, we're being watched by authorities and politicians," said Pawlowsky.

It's gotten attention from local, state, and even our nation's leaders.

"The pressure is much more on the politicians to make change and maybe it's the algae, maybe it's our page for everyone to see," said Pawlowsky.

The page helps researchers know where the algae appear along the St. Lucie River.

It even helps business owners.

"I need to know where to send people so they know the water is still good," said Danny Robitaille at Flying Fish Paddle Sports.

County leaders say they use the page to monitor the water situation as well.