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A Weekend on the Water Mark List |
August 25, 2006
Gov. Jeb Bush, flanked by top officials in his brother's administration, announced a $1.5 billion plan in Oct 2004 to speed up the sluggish Everglades $10.5 billion restoration project. State officials dubbed the plan "Acceler8" because it aimed to complete eight major projects to expand water storage, improve water quality and restore water flows by 2010.
On August 2, 2006 Governor Jeb Bush joined local, state and federal leaders in breaking ground on one of the most expansive reservoirs in the world as part of the massive effort to restore the Everglades. When complete, the reservoir will cover 25 square miles and provide 170,000 acre-feet of water storage hopefully to better manage water released from Lake Okeechobee.
But there are some who say this won't be enough. Ten miles east of LaBelle on SR 80 the Army Corps of Engineers and SFWMD are building the C-43 (Caloosahatchee River) West Reservoir. This project is an aboveground reservoir located south of the Caloosahatchee River and west of the Ortona lock, with a storage capacity of 170,000 acre-feet. Depending on storage needs, the reservoir water depth will vary from 12-26 feet. The reservoir will be constructed on an 11,000-acre parcel south of 80 just before the Ortona lock and campground turnoff on Darnell Road.
In last week's Sand Paper (Issue 288) Commissioner Ray Judah wrote a guest opinion piece on the C-43 project: "The C-43 west reservoir is part of the SFWMD Acceler8 program intended to expedite the construction of several additional reservoirs and special treatment areas to capture and store regulatory releases from Lake Okeechobee.
"Unfortunately, the design and construction of the C-43 reservoir will only serve to further exacerbate water quality problems in the Caloosahatchee River and coastal estuaries."
Judah's concerns were simple, yet significant. Another Acceler8 project on the east side of Lake Okeechobee the C-44 (St. Lucie Canal) reservoir includes a 6,300-acre filtration marsh to remove nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen from lake water runoff. Unlike the St. Lucie Canal project, the C-43 reservoir will not be built in conjunction with a similar filtration marsh system.
The SFWMD has no commitment to the funding or timing for such aspecial treatment area. To make matters worse the SFWMD plans to build the C-43 reservoir with "slurry walls" " (a type of wall used to build … foundations in areas of soft earth close to open water or with a high ground water table."Wikipedia) to protect the integrity of the earthen berms and pipes, thus greatly reducing even more the potential for filtration through ground water seepage.
According to Judah, "In the absence of a water quality component, the C-43 reservoir will serve as an incubator for bacteria and algae growth such as the toxic blue green algae that is becoming more prevalent in the Caloosahatchee River and creating public health concerns. Heavy nutrient loading in the form of phosphorus and nitrogen, warm water, and limited circulation in the reservoir create an optimum environment for the proliferation of bacteria and algae."
Last weekend the Sand Paper decided to visit the area where the C-43 reservoir is being built. We arrived at the beautiful Ortona lock and campground early afternoon on Saturday. Pulling up to the ranger station we asked the ranger about the C-43 reservoir. She had no idea what we were talking about, even when I turned to the vast area facing her station and pointed out where they intended to build the reservoir. She still had no idea what I was talking about. Looking around we saw a vast panorama of open land, and a neat-as-a-pin campground overlooking the locks. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and there was nobody around. It was eerie.
Almost 18 million people live in Florida according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In the whole of the U.S. there is an average of 80 people per square mile. But in Florida that quickly jumps to 296 people per square mile. An estimated 37,064 people reside in the Hendry County (2003 census), resulting in a population density of 32 persons per square mile, or about two head of cattle for each person residing there. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the per capita income in Hendry County was $20,604 in 2002. This compares to $33,297 for the five county region, and $29,758 for the state as a whole during the same time period. Hendry County ranks second in the state in terms of citrus acreage, and third in terms of citrus output. Agriculture represents the largest private sector employer and source of earnings for the County, generating over 2,500 jobs and $80 million, or 15.7 percent, of the County's earnings by place of work. When the project is completed 14,446 acres of citrus that will be displaced from production. This proposed reduction in citrus acreage will result in recurring negative economic impacts to the region, since annual production activities, harvests and fruit sales from this land will no longer occur.
Another area of concern is that since property taxes are not paid by public agencies on lands they acquire, the C-43 project would have a detrimental fiscal impact on the Hendry County government. Based on an estimated taxable value of $29,874,642 for 14,666 acres of citrus and a countywide millage rate of 21.068 for 2004, annual property tax revenues would decline by $629,399 per year for Hendry County as a result of these project lands being removed from the its tax rolls.
Other areas of concern of course being lost jobs and income lost to residents. One solution to the economic future of the county will depend on residential development in the area that would primarily serve new residents. Towards this end the Hendry County LPA on May 12, 2004 approved a large scale amendment to the Hendry County Comprehensive Plan to change the future land use designation from leisure recreation and agriculture to high density residential on a 187-acre parcel located on the north side of SR80 just east of the Hendry County/Lee County line, south of the Caloosahatchee River. This is the land between the reservoir and Route 80. The applicants were J & H Groves, LC and Jack M. Berry, Inc. on whose property the reservoir was going to be built. This amendment was approved.
In reviewing LoopNet.com real estate in the area it was discovered that there apparently are plans for a new Wal-Mart and a new college campus with student residences west of the area. In other words by placing the reservoir in a low density, low income area and by changing the land use from recreation to high density residential, and encouraging development in the area, any loss to existing revenues could possibly be recouped. Great idea two years ago - a plan any local planner could agree to.
Property Description: FUTURE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL.
10.18 acres on the north side of the proposed Helms Road Extension between State Road 29 and State Road 80. College sites will be to the south, proposed residential developments to the east and south, proposed Wal-Mart to the west. C43 Reservoir project just a few miles away. Area of tremendous growth and potential. The property was recently annexed into the City of LaBelle, and land use changed from Agriculture to Residential. THERE IS NO PHYSICAL ACCESS AT THIS TIME. Road construction completion estimated in 2008. INVEST FOR THE FUTURE!
(From LoopNet.com)
But what if the concerns brought up by Commissioner Judah on the reservoir's water quality issues are valid? What if we end up with 170,000 acre-feet of blue green algae? Could this really happen? Let's review a little early history of Florida to get a better look at the problem.
In 1837 federal troops discovered Lake Okeechobee while fighting with the Seminole Indians. By 1839, the Federal Armed Occupation Act was inked to encourage new settlers to move to Florida. In a few years Florida was granted statehood and a plan was proposed to reclaim the Everglades and attract thousands of settlers. Initially the promoters of South Florida felt it was just a matter of dredging a few canals to drain off the excessive waters, creating huge tracts of fertile farmland.
By the 1880s Hamilton Disston bought 4 million acres around Lake Okeechobee and dredged a connection to the Caloosahatchee River, thereby connecting the Kissimmee River to the Gulf of Mexico via Lake O and the Caloosahatchee. One of the main draws to the area was that under the wetlands of the Everglades were probably some of the most pristine growing fields in the country.
Phosphorus is a common but critical part of plant development in nature. Before civilization came to Florida the Everglades was phosphorus-starved. In fact the Everglades ecosystem was defined by this phosphorus-starvation. Saw grass, the "river of grass", was efficient at extracting phosphorus from its environment.
For thousands of years the Everglades developed a fragile ecosystem based on this balance. Within less than 100 years one of the main problems with our Florida waters is way too much phosphorus.
By 1975 scientists began to link blue-green algae blooms in Caloosahatchee River to phosphorus pollution coming from Lake Okeechobee. The government came alive and passed regulations and incentives for dairies to effectively reduce the external loading of phosphorus and nitrogen from the growing fields. Yet, the longterm accumulation of sediments sitting at the bottom of the lake continued to provide a source for internal loading of these supernutrients in the water releases. In other words the bed of Lake O was thick in the super-nutrient sludge waiting for anything from winds, storms, tides, recreational boating, etc. to churn it up. The problem of too much phosphorus and other nutrients in the water evidently was not solved.
Valerie Ensenat, an undergrad at University of Florida majoring in land and water management, researched this issue for the Journal of Undergraduate Research. Her study was part of an intensive project to map the sediments of Lake Okeechobee and assess the impact of management practices since the last study done in 1989. The results of the project were intended to aid the South Florida Water Management District in the development of long-term management strategies for the lake. In the report Ensenat claimed that, "Agricultural runoff in the drainage basin of Lake Okeechobee has been implicated in the increased eutrophication of the lake (Eutrophication is a process whereby water bodies, such as lakes, estuaries, or slow-moving streams receive excess nutrients that stimulate excessive plant growth). Further in the report she says, "Since the 1970's, government regulations and incentives for dairies have effectively reduced external loading, particularly of phosphorus and nitrogen.
Yet, the lake's sediments continue to provide a source for internal loading of nutrients. Triplicate cores from seven sites representing major sediment zones and inflows were incubated in the laboratory for two weeks. During that time, water samples were collected from the cores and analyzed for dissolved reactive phosphorus and ammonium nitrogen. Changes in phosphorus flux values from 1989 to 1999 varied among the sites but did not correlate with the reduction in external loading. These results suggested a longterm storage capacity of the lake sediments."
In other words, while the influx of new phosphorus and nitrogen levels had been reduced considerably through responsible farming techniques, the sediment still extant in the lake was sitting on the bottom of the lake, and in the waters ready to be released. Whether this super-nutrient laden water sits in Lake Okeechobee, man-made reservoirs, rivers, canals, estuaries or any other body of water, it still remains an affluent source in which algae of all kind can grow. Algae as we've come to know are any of various chiefly aquatic organisms, ranging in size from single-celled forms to giant kelp. Some types of algae contain harmful toxins and are hazardous.
If the water is going to be used as drinking water, presence of algae can make the process of filtration more complex and costly, and yet algae is needed in lakes, rivers and oceans to create a balanced ecosystem. A hundred years ago the waters in Florida were low in phosphorus. Because of past misuse of fertilizers in agriculture and over development, that level is way beyond any kind of normal levels. No scientist will disagree that when you feed super food to algae it will eventually grow exponentially out of control. We have seen too many examples of this over the recent years. Any solution to the restoration of the Everglades should include returning the polluted waters to its natural, low-phosphorus state in order to re-instate the natural ecosystem.
Epilogue
While we were reporting in the center of the state, two other Sand Paper staff were in Key Largo. Miami and Keys newspapers were reporting a 176-squaremile bloom of algae in the waters on both sides of the 18-mile stretch of U.S.1 leading to the Keys. Several unsubstantiated sources were being suggested for the cause, from hurricanes, to marginal tidal flow, to high salinity content and high water temperature. A lot of focus was placed on the current four-lane highway construction along Route 1 in which hundreds of acres of destroyed mangroves had been mulched, then mixed with the muck surrounding the mangroves, along with cement and "slag" material containing iron, to form a stabilizing layer under the road bed.
Some felt this may have contributed to the bloom, but there were no facts to substantiate this concept. Scientists for federal, state and local agencies all agreed more testing was needed, but most felt the blame lay in a combination of factors, including the Rt. 1 project. Interesting enough, at no time was any mention made of the C-111 canal, which empties directly into Barnes Sound where most of the bloom was reported. This canal created by the ACE cuts directly across this area in which the bloom was discovered.
In February 2006, the Miami Herald ran an article on the C-111 canal. Before the canal was built, decades ago, there was a natural flow way called Taylor Slough, which collected the rain from the Everglades and carried it south to Florida Bay (south of this area). When C-111 was built it evidently did its job too well. It changed the course of the River of Grass, diverting fresh water that once flowed naturally through the southern Everglades into Florida Bay and channeling it 20 miles east into Barnes Sound.
Hydrologists claimed the canal was cut so deep that it drew groundwater through the porous lime rock for miles around, so that three-quarters of the water that originally flowed naturally into the Florida Bay was now being dumped into the Sound. When the C-111 floodgates are open the fresh water dumps create a poisonous environment for the marine life, especially if the waters are high in phosphorus, creating a situation in our waters, about which we in SW Florida are all too familiar.
Sand Paper Editor, Carl Conley, who had planned to do some scuba diving in Key Largo while he was there, had this to say about the water conditions: "When Mark called me from the Moore Haven area and told me what the east coast press was saying about the upper Keys, I was at first taken aback. After all, Karen and I had frequently dived on the reefs and wrecks off Key Largo and generally the visibility ranged from a low of 45 feet to a high of close to a hundred feet. So we grabbed the Miami Herald and the Keynoter and sure enough it was on the front page of both of them. We decided to verify their reports for Mark's article and our archives."
"First of all, in the area reported in the papers visibility was practically nonexistent due to the green tint caused by the algal blooms. We thought it was probably only confined to the area near the highway construction but were absolutely shocked to find visibility less than ten feet immediately off Key Largo and twenty to thirty feet on the reef. It was the worst we had ever encountered.
Lain Goodwin, a Key Largo fisherman said it pretty well: "I've never seen anything like it. Even when it's sunny out, you can't see more than a few inches into the water."
"Many of the dive boats were going out empty or staying at the docks," Carl continued. "We wound up using the swimming pool for the weekend and that's a bummer when you're staying a few miles from John Pennekamp State Park and a National Marine Preserve. I can tell you the folks in the Keys were very upset and worried at the same time, as many of them depend on the beauty of the sea for their livelihood. Karen and I were both disheartened. It seems the entire state is suffering a decline in coastal water quality."
And so it is. Traveling around the state it becomes obvious that the issues of water quality are the same whether you are in west, east, south or central Florida. One thing is consistent throughout the state: our waters are contaminated.
From their early beginnings in 1802, the U.S. Government established the Army Corps of Engineers to supervise the construction of coastal fortifications and lighthouses, to develop jetties and piers for harbors, and to map the navigation channels. They're builders. The creation of the South Florida Water Management District began in the late 40s to address the extremes of hurricanes, floods and droughts in the newly developing state of Florida. Sixty years later it operates and maintains approximately 1,800 miles of canals and levees, 25 major pumping stations and about 200 larger and 2,000 smaller water control structures. It must operate for the benefit of all, which includes Florida's huge sugar, agricultural and development operations. It's all about moving the water around from one place to another.
But more and more it becomes apparent that a major portion of our attention needs to be placed on the quality of the water we're moving around. It doesn't matter if it's in a lake, ocean, reservoir, moving down canals, sitting in estuaries, or part of our drinking water - its still polluted water no matter where you put it, and we need to treat it now. We live on a planet made up mostly of water. We need to be more concerned with the water quality and less with where we place it. Our lives may well depend on it.
Mark List