NewsPalm Beach CountyRegion C Palm Beach County

Actions

Storms impacting Lake Worth Lagoon seagrass

Posted at 7:37 PM, Mar 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-15 19:37:16-04

The Lake Worth Lagoon is vital to Palm Beach County.

Over the last few years, conditions have depleted an integral part of lagoon, seagrass.

"Can't really pinpoint the reason for the decline, but we think it's major storm events sending pulses of fresh water into the Lake Worth Lagoon," said Benji Studt with Palm Beach County Environmental Resource Management.

He says those storms are killing hundreds of acres.

Snook Island in Lake Worth is a perfect example.

"Right now in 2018 we had less than one acre," said Studt.

Rising sea levels could play a factor in the future.

This the reason restoration efforts over the last 20 years are so critical.

"100 million dollars in restoring habitat," said Studt.

More than 100 acres of habitat have been restored over the years. More projects are planned for the future.