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Discharges begin with an unhealthy Lake Okeechobee

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Lake Okeechobee discharges have begun and it's unclear for how long.

On the Treasure Coast, there's a growing fear of another algae crisis.

Paul Gray with Audubon Florida says the lake is very unhealthy right now and still recovering from Hurricane Irma.

"Inflow from Irma with all the nutrients in the water," said Gray.

During the month of January in 2016, there was quite a bit of rain bringing on early discharges. A large algae bloom on Lake Okeechobee made its way east.

This year we don't have an algae bloom just yet, but Gray says conditions are perfect.

"We have conditions similar to 2016; it's going to be summer, it's going to be warm, the water is going to clear up and we've got a lot of nutrients in the lake. Unfortunately, it's a good recipe for possible algae blooms," said Gray.

The lake is about three feet higher than it was a year ago.