The issues of our community typically do not begin or end at a city or county border, and that is certainly the case when it comes to protecting the environment. The North Spreader Waterway, located in Northwest Cape Coral, receives water from over 50 square miles of land, and has effects and impacts from Charlotte County all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

In the 1970’s, the state rightly ordered that the developer cease digging canals through the mangroves and that a barrier be installed to retain runoff. This led to the boat lift that was ultimately constructed. In 2006, a significant breach formed on the west side of the boat lift that was over 35 feet wide. This breach caused the boatlift to completely lose effectiveness in holding back the North Spreader System from flowing into Matlacha Pass.

I was proud to be part of the team that moved to immediately address the flows into Matlacha Pass. At first, we took the most obvious route in addressing the problem. We considered building an improved barrier slightly upstream from the old barrier so we could again sequester the water. Even though our canal water had tested relatively clean over the past several years, we recognized the potential for pollution as more people discovered our community.

Anytime a government considers spending your money, a simple but vital question must be asked – will the people receive a needed benefit at the lowest possible cost? That is, with all the facts before us, are we choosing the path that accomplishes the stated objective. In the case of the North Spreader, it became clear to me, the FDEP and many others that rebuilding the barrier may not improve our ability to capture this water, and it could actually cause more damage to the environment. This was the case because several other breaches had developed along the wall that was expected to hold the water in over this nine-mile berm. These breaches caused water to flow directly in and out of Matlacha Pass from the system. So, building the new barrier, without more, would simply be a waste of taxpayer money and would not resolve the issue of potential pollution.

As discussions with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection commenced, they agreed with our assessment, and we joined together to undertake an Ecosystem Management Agreement (“EMA”) process, as outlined by Florida Statutes. The goal of this process is to reach a Net Ecosystem Benefit (“NEB”) compared to the conventional approach. In this case, we sought to determine what would protect our environment better than a simple barrier. We immediately sought the support of key agencies, including Commissioner Judah and the South Florida Water Management District. Recognizing the efforts of the city and the importance of a comprehensive plan to provide a benefit to the environment, both the Lee County Commission and the SFWMD joined in the commitment to protect the environment.

As noted above, environmental protection must be addressed in a regional manner. The input and participation of state, county, and local governments, environmental groups, and community organizations is vital to address the wide range of concerns and challenges that exist in such a large undertaking. As Mayor, I worked as a member of several of these stakeholders, including the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council and the City of Cape Coral.

It is difficult enough to get members of just one single board together, like the city council, to agree on major issues. How can it be possible to coordinate the wishes of no less than thirty stakeholders and reach an agreement? The EMA process and the stakeholders made this happen. Through many meetings of the stakeholders and careful scientific analysis, the end result is a set of objective, attainable recommendations which will benefit the environment of Lee County and beyond.

The recommendations made to accomplish a Net Ecosystem Benefit are reasonable and attainable.

1. First, adopt a fertilizer ordinance and provide public education on the most effective, environmentally friendly methods to fertilize.

2. Second, as I recommended several years ago, provide alternatives to seawalls along the shoreline. Since almost all of our canals are no-wake zones, erosion is of minimal concern. By allowing alternatives such as rip-rap with oysters or mangroves, our homes can actually play a major role in clarifying our water, rather than being potential polluters. Having clean water is better than figuring out where to send or store pollutants.

3. Third, improving stormwater catch basins, as the city has done in other areas, will also help to retain untreated waters in swales.

4. Fourth, continuing our dredging program to ensure proper flows.

5. Fifth, providing improvements and reasonable regulation of motorized watercraft will protect the environment while providing residents a full range of recreational opportunities.

6. The sixth recommendation, and undoubtedly the most challenging one, is to require the installation of sewers based on conditions. When areas in the system reach approximately 45% build out, the city would be required to install sewers within a certain timeframe. Septic tanks are an obvious and proven threat to the quality of our environment. Even in the middle of city election season, there is nearly unanimous support for the installation of sewers in the future. These benchmarks will allow the city council ample time to make substantial revisions to the Utilities Expansion Program contract and assessment methodology, but only if council gets to work today. Given the current economic climate, a golden opportunity exists for our politicians to put their personal and analytical differences aside, and reach real solutions to continue utilities expansion at a more reasonable cost.

Having three small children, I have a vested interest, as we all do, in seeing that the high quality of life in our community be maintained and improved. Our natural environment is at the top of the list of why we and thousands of others choose this area as home. The opportunities for passive recreation that can be enjoyed along our mangroves and our back bays and waterways are nearly endless. The quality of that water will dictate the quality, even the existence, of these resources in the future. As we all saw during the massive nutrient-laden releases from Lake Okeechobee, our environment is sensitive, and must be protected from direct discharge of these harmful contaminants. The draft EMA provides an excellent framework to provide a real Net Ecosystem Benefit, while protecting and preserving all of the wonderful opportunities our people have to enjoy that very ecosystem. I strongly encourage all of the stakeholders, particularly the City of Cape Coral, Lee County, South Florida Water Management District, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to bring this important improvement to our environment to fruition. Thank you to all those throughout Lee County who worked diligently, reasonably, and cooperatively to make the draft EMA a reality, and made a Net Ecosystem Benefit within reach.

Eric Feichthaler is the former Mayor of Cape Coral.