UPDATE: Lake Alert for Lake Estelle LIFTED
March 16, 2022
Based on the latest results obtained by Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) from sampling Lake Estelle on March 8, 2022, the Lake Alert for Lake Estelle has been lifted. At this time, there are no toxins present in Lake Estelle, but blooms may still occur. There are always risks that could be associated with swimming, recreating, or irrigating in and from water with algal blooms, please use your own caution. If you see a visible bloom present, please report it to the FDEP Algal Bloom Dashboard, which can be found here: floridadep.gov/AlgalBloom.
March 8, 2022
UPDATED Information – A Lake Alert for Lake Estelle was issued on December 29, 2021 due to a potentially unsafe concentration of toxins present in the lake. City of Orlando Stormwater staff have been continuously working with Florida Department of Environmental Protection on monitoring and sampling Lake Estelle since the Lake Alert was issued. This message is to provide an update on the status of the lake.
The results from the latest sampling event from DEP on February 24, 2022, indicate there is still a potentially unsafe presence of toxins in the lake. Lake Estelle will continue to be sampled by DEP in the coming weeks. The City of Orlando will provide another update when we receive these results. At this time, the Lake Alert remains in effect until further notice.
Please continue to call the Lake Alert number, 407.246.2220, for the most up-to-date information regarding your lake. During weekdays, the City's Lake Alert website, orlando.gov/lakealert will also have the latest information.
Original Lake Alert Below
December 29, 2021
On December 27, 2021 the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) tested water samples from the Northeastern lobe of Lake Estelle and determined that potentially unsafe concentrations of toxins are present in the lake. As a precaution, we are advising everyone to refrain from swimming, recreating and irrigating in/from Lake Estelle until further notice.
For reference, cyanobacteria/blue-green algae are always present in the water, however, not all bacteria have the ability to produce toxins. Toxicity is hard to predict because a single species of algae can have toxic and non-toxic strains. Nothing can be done to treat algae blooms without causing massive fish kills. In the coming weeks, the city will work closely with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to monitor Lake Estelle. Once we obtain more information on the status of the lake, we will continue to update this Lake Alert.
Please encourage your neighbors to register for the Lake Alert at orlando.gov/lakealert so they too will get important information about Lake Estelle directly.
In the meantime, as we stated above, the city would advise refraining from swimming, recreating and irrigating in/from the lake until further notice.
