Get the Green Out

Home » How To Help » Volunteer

Join us in the fight against water pollution! Our Get the Green Out Volunteer Team is a network of citizens acting as the eyes on the river and reporting blooms.

In response to reduced environmental monitoring from agencies, we've asked citizens to empower themselves by reporting algal blooms occuring on the St. Johns River and it's tributaries.

Educate and empower yourself to learn more and take action! You can begin reporting algal blooms today using the Water Rangers App! Read below for further instructions.

Please review how to join Water Rangers and report an algal bloom.
If interested in taking a sample during the summer months when blooms occur, please review our Standard Operating Procedures to understand what is involved.
Attend our next Get the Green Out Presentation or review the presentation.

Learn about ways you can help reduce algal blooms at home and in your community by living a River Friendly lifestyle.

Nutrient overload, or eutrophication, from too much nitrogen and phosphorous is one of the most serious water quality problems facing the St. Johns River and its tributaries.

Blue green algae, also called cyanobacteria, are tiny organisms naturally found in all types of water.

Excessive nutrients feed the algae, causing uncontrolled algal blooms that deplete oxygen in the water needed by fish, reduce light that is essential to submerged vegetation, and threaten the health of both humans and aquatic life.

The St. Johns suffers from an excess of nutrients from wastewater treatment plants, industrial discharges, failing septic tanks, storm water runoff, and fertilizers that regularly wash into the river.

Blooms can look like a thick mat or foamy green scum and can give off an unpleasant odor.
Blue green algae sometimes produce toxins that can result in ear, eye, or skin reactions and hay fever-like or flu-like symptoms.
Do not swallow, swim, or wade in water where blooms are present.
Do not eat fish caught in the vicinity of a bloom.
Wash your skin and clothing with soap and water if you come into contact with a bloom.
Keep pets away from blooms.

For more helpful information about algal blooms and how to avoid exposure to potentially harmful toxins, visit the following websites:

Aquatic Toxins - Florida Department of Health

Algae and Cyanobacteria - GreenWater Laboratories

Watch this video by The Science Of...highlighting the St. Johns Riverkeeper Get the Green Out Program and research at the Marine Science Research Institute.