BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Weather over the past several days has played a factor in turning much of the struggling Indian River Lagoon waters murky and cloudy, experts said Wednesday.

"It's really murky, murky, murky," according to Richard Daigle, who spends a ton of time fishing and boating on the Indian River.

For decades, the Port St. John resident has seen the ups and downs of a waterway marred by pollution.

"It's stirred up a lot," he said.

A dry spring led to less stormwater flowing into the waterway.

For months, the water was clearer and cleaner, but then summer brought rain and warmer temperatures.

"The rain carries all of those nutrients that come off our lawns and streets, and construction zones, right into the lagoon," Dr. Leesa Soto of the Marine Resources Council said. "The nutrients are the powerhouse that fuels the algae, and it starts to grow."

As of a couple weeks ago, a large algae bloom began to take over the northern part of Brevard County's estuary.

Toxic blooms deprive the water of oxygen and block sunlight for seagrass.

This past weekend's lengthy storm system and its strong onshore winds chopped up the water, causing the bloom to grow.

"The wind has been helpful in that it's oxygenating the water, which is good for the fish, but it's not good in that it's spreading this algae everywhere," Soto said.

Experts expressed concern this latest bloom could be a repeat of 2016, when a massive fish kill covered about 30 miles of the lagoon.

"We are keeping our fingers crossed it's not going to result in a major fish kill," Soto said.

Daigle said he hopes that doesn't happen to his home away from home.

"I got three boats I want to put in the water," he said.