Harmful algal blooms (HABs) affect water quality and ecosystem health across Lake Okeechobee and connected waterways. The ability to predict blooms and support timely management decisions remains a critical need. The SLEW Project aims to improve the prediction and management of harmful algal blooms by developing an integrated decision support system that combines water quality monitoring, forecasting, and advanced modeling tools. Through a co-production approach, the project engages water managers and other end-users to ensure that tools and information products are responsive to management needs, scientifically robust, and practical for real-world decision-making. The UF Water Institute supports the project’s co-production process by facilitating engagement between researchers and end-users, helping ensure that the decision support system is relevant, trusted, and useful for water management applications. The resulting system supports proactive, science-based strategies to protect water resources in Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie Estuary and Watershed, and the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary.
Funding: United States Corps of Engineers, $2,485,935 from 2023-2025.
This project is facilitated/supported by the Water Institute.
Project Participants
Project Lead
Mauricio E. Arias, University of South Florida
Water Institute Affiliate Faculty/Staff
- Paloma Carton de Grammont, Water Institute, UF
- David Kaplan, Environmental Engineering Sciences, UF
- Lisa Krimsky, UF/IFAS Extension, UF
- Darlene Velez, Water Institute, UF
Project Partners
- South Florida Water Management District
- UF Center for Coastal Solutions
- University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
- University of South Florida
End-Users/Stakeholders
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- South Florida Water Management District
- United States Army Corps of Engineers
Expected Outputs
- Integrated Decision Support System: A user-friendly platform that integrates monitoring data, forecasts, and model outputs to support harmful algal bloom management in Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie Estuary and Watershed, and the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary.
- Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasting Tools: Predictive tools that improve the ability to anticipate bloom occurrence, severity, and movement across connected water systems.
- Water Quality and Hydrodynamic Models: Advanced models that simulate watershed, estuarine, and lake processes to improve understanding and prediction of harmful algal bloom dynamics.
- Scientific Publications: Eight peer-reviewed publications advancing knowledge of harmful algal bloom drivers, forecasting, water quality processes, and decision-support applications.