ORLANDO, Fla. — Residents in one Orlando neighborhood say they’re dealing with a stinky mess.
A fish kill is causing hundreds of dead fish to wash up along Lake Cherokee and in neighborhood drains.
The City of Orlando is now warning residents to avoid activity on the lake until further notice.
According to a City spokesperson, “On Thursday, April 3, as a health precaution, the City of Orlando issued a Lake Advisory to all residents to cease water activities and irrigation from Lake Cherokee.”
The city spokesperson said the fish kill on Lake Cherokee is “due to an algal bloom during routine maintenance.”
Residents told Channel 9 it’s hard to tolerate the smell, adding they’ve been dealing with the odor for days.
“First we walked Lake Davis, then we walked Lake Cherokee, and as we hit this lake, it was like, what is that smell?,” said Linda Thomas who walks the lake regularly.
She and her husband Mike told Channel 9 their nose narrowed in on the problem before they spotted the issue.
“As we got closer to the banks, there were dead fish everywhere,” said Thomas, “I thought, gosh, can you imagine sitting out there for breakfast smelling that? Not so good.”
According to the city, the algal bloom has been reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) Harmful Algal Bloom website for assistance.
A city spokesperson said FDEP will take quality samples to measure the potential toxins that may be present.
A city spokesperson said in a statement:
“The City of Orlando will remove the dead fish on a daily basis. In addition, the City will also apply a blue dye to Lake Cherokee within the this week to reduce chlorophyll production and control the algal bloom.”
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