Water pollution in sound will affect fishing
To the editor:
The time for action is now to prevent the impending and catastrophic pollution of the Matlacha and Pine Island waterways. Water quality impacts all forms of life. Nature has designed methods and processes that self correct pollution if on a small scale. However, when nature is corrected or ignored to fit human designs, all forms of life suffer.
With the influx of thousands of homes and businesses upstream in Cape Coral, nature was over whelmed and a corrective action was taken in the form of a dam/boat lift. While this temporary construction lasted 30 years, the long-term solution — a sewage system in Cape Coral — was ignored until again nature tried to reclaim its way. With costly repairs made that could not withstand nature’s way, the dam/boat lift was totally removed. So we are back at the “starting point” again.
Please redo the dam/boat lock NOW. Take the painful action to develop a long-term plan to address the real issue of water pollution that every city across this great nation and the world has done to protect the most valuable thing — a safe and clean environment for the future of our children. Environmental experts can tell you the scientific reasons and need for actions. I want to talk about the family issues and quality of life that will be gone when actions are not completed to provide clean water. With the pollution continuing to pour into our waterways, our current standard of life will be gone — local grandfathers taking a grandchild out for a short fishing trip — gone; manatee sightings — gone; crabbing — gone.
Our children, grandkids, great grandkids are depending on the adults in charge to protect all the little children, be they human, fish, crabs, or manatee. Please do the hard thing and be the adult in the room and say no to continued pollution.
The Skinny on Ceitus Creek Barrier or Polluted Waters:
At this time we are midway into polluted waters. Did you know that right now it extends to Pine Island Sound? This was done over a 3/4 year period. Maybe that is why no one mentions tests that were done recently on water quality in the immediate area. At the July meeting of the County Commissioners Mr. Iglehart, of the DEP, stated that none had been done in the immediate area before or after the Ceitus barrier was removed. You can check the record. All of the water quality studies were done at the north end of the spreader, which is 7 miles north of the old lift sight. You can check this with Connie Jarvis. If this was done in three years can we make the assumption that by 10 years it will be much further to Sanibel and beyond? And can we make the further assumption that it will be a severe pollution problem? I do believe this is possible. Where are the water quality tests for this immediate area?
If there are 17,000 septic systems north of Pine Island Road draining over 105,000 square miles of this watershed is it not harmful? Oysters, mother nature’s cleaning system, is a signal of pollution. There are no more oysters in Matlacha Shores, nor Matlacha Pass.
I like to compare this large watershed to a delta area with one large river/creek running in it. Ceitus Creek, like the Mississippi, has all the small tributaries, creeks, and streams (ie.breaches) running into a larger body of water, Pine Island Sound, then the Gulf of Mexico. Nature spreads out the water, which is a good thing because as it goes through the sand and mangroves it filters and cleans the water. That is the purpose of the barrier.
We all realize that putting the lock/ barrier back will hold back the water so it spreads out over a larger area is not the best NEB (natural environmental benefit), but the vote was 14 to 4 to replace the lock (2 abstained, and 2 rejected). Were there other proposals that would be better? Reservoirs and filter marshes for storm water drainage, restoration and protection of mangroves, and a timely and reasonable schedule for eliminating septic systems in environmentally sensitive areas was considered and rejected by Cape Coral. The one proposed would take 20 to 30 years. Putting the lock back will hold for another 30 years and allow the Cape time to make better changes.
Why did the South Spreader work? There are a few reasons. First it is a lock, and has always been a lock. Secondly, the soil or bank was more secure. Third it did not have mangroves that were slowly cut or lost as seen by eye witness that lived close by. Fourth, it did not have increasing larger boats using the lift, until it broke. If replaced it will go to better ground further north, with a natural berm (western wall), and a lock rather than a lift.
Then I ask myself why did DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) abstain from the vote? Why did it issue a permit impossible for Cape Coral to maintain?
It just didn’t make sense. Then I remembered Cape Coral is the largest city in Florida.
Was all this done so the 60,000 plotted lots behind the barrier would have direct access to open water? Of that 60,000, there are presently 17,000 on septic systems.
The Lee County’s Office (CAO) has protested to DEP that they are “putting up obstacles” to the Ceitus Barrier permit application by improperly interpreting the Consent Order to require to the Cape to fix the so-called “breaches” along the western portion of the seven mile spreader.
The children of tomorrow will be fishing, and playing in Matlacha, Pine island Sound and Charlotte Harbor if you all act now to put the lock back and put the Spreader system back. This will ensure that the fresh water and pollution will be slowed down until more substantial measures can be put into place. Then one of the finest fish nurseries will return.
A final note: People who bought property in this section of the Cape as far back as 10/15 years ago were told they were on a time schedule for sewage. They purchased their homes knowing this. Then it never happened. Why does the North Cape not have sewage?
It is probably the only big city in the U.S. that has so much area developed without sewage.
The total Stakeholders report can be seen on the Internet. DEP did issue a permit but they added items that made it impossible to enforce.
Thank you for considering all of this.
Ann E. Thomas
Matclacha