By now you may have seen the pictures coming out of many of South Floridas coastal communities: Many miles of smelly, guacamole-thick algal blooms cropping up along beaches and rivers blooms so big they can even be seen from space .

Algal blooms like those currently fouling up many Florida waterways are caused, according to the EPA, by the buildup of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus in water. This buildup is primarily the result of excess fertilizer being used in agricultural and home yard settings and then running off into local waterways following heavy rains. Improperly-functioning sewer and septic systems can also be a factor.

The problem is massive and officials are calling it unprecedented , resulting in the closing of beaches and many water-dependent attractions at the height of the regions busy tourist season. But its also something that has been some time in the making.

In the specific case of Floridas blue-green algal blooms, experts say the catalyst was nitrogen and phosphorous buildup traced back to pollution of Lake Okeechobee, the states largest freshwater lake. The lake flows into canals connected to coastal rivers like the Caloosahatchee to the west and the St. Lucie to the east, areas that have both been hit hard by the toxic blooms.

Dr. Bill Louda, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton who has been studying and testing the algae, put the situations root cause more bluntly: Basically were fertilizing South Florida to death.

The issue with the blooms isnt just that they are unsightly and smelly, but also that the algae could be devastating for local economies and ecosystems alike. Algal blooms sometimes produce toxins that can sicken or kill both humans and animals and can produce dead zones where aquatic organisms die because the water lacks the oxygen they need to survive.

The impact is tremendous, Louda told The Huffington Post. We have to stop somewhere.

Recognizing the gravity of the problem, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) declared a state of emergency in four impacted counties Lee, Martin, Palm Beach and St. Lucie late last month.

On Wednesday, Scott announced that he would propose new funding to address the algal blooms through a grant program helping homeowners living near bodies of water to switch from septic tanks to sewer systems, in addition to supporting communities building of improved wastewater systems.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) added his support to Scotts call for a federal emergency declaration Thursday, calling the situation a health, ecological and economical emergency. In a separate news release issued Wednesday , he asked the Centers for Disease Control to remain vigilant of the blooms and the impact they can have on the health of Florida residents and visitors, some of whom have already reported headaches, respiratory problems and rashes believed to be linked to the algae.

Despite the alarm, experts say little can be done to address the problem in the short-term aside from continuing to monitor it.

You could throw some nasty herbicides or synthetic inhibitors on top of it, but it would kill everything else too, the seagrass, the phytoplankton fish eat, Louda said. We just have to let nature take its course.