Enclosed with this letter, you will find photos that you might think were taken in some lake or canal in an industrial section of some big city. Actually, these photos were taken in the back of my yard, which sits on the waters overlooking the Sanibel Causeway of San Carlos Bay. Yes, this is actually Sanibel. This is the water of Sanibel after a major release of fresh water from the Okeechobee Lake.
My husband and I have the blessing of living on this beautiful island, and the extra blessing of having the view of the water in our back yard. In the last few years, we have been taking notice of the changes in the waters starting from late spring all the way into November, sometimes even December. That would be up to six months out of the year. The change starts with our green/blue clear water getting dark and murky. Soon, you cannot see more than 6 inches beneath the surface of the water. The color changes to brown, then the huge amount of dead sea grass start to float on top of the water. The color goes from brown to rust color. Shortly after the rust color, foam starts to float in. As you can see from the photos, the foam is inches thick at times, covering the entire surface of the water, with large softball size foam balls floating around. We call them "scum balls". It is truly sad and disgusting to see.

When I found this problem to be getting worse and more frequent, I started researching and asking a lot of questions about this problem. What I found out was that in order to maintain a certain desirable level of the Okeechobee Lake, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers release millions of gallons of fresh water (how about 33,662 gallons a second) down the Caloosahatchee River, which ends up in our bay. The fresh water releases also have an effect on the estuaries along the Caloosahatchee River, which are so vital to our ecosystem.

I learned that one of the reasons it seemed to be so much worse in the last few years is because Port St. Lucie had a lawsuit going against the Corps of Engineers to stop the water flow. During this lawsuit, something like 90% of the water was being released down the Caloosahatchee River, instead of it being evenly divided between the St. Lucie River and the Caloosahatchee River.

I know that scientists are reluctant to blame the surge in red tides around our area to the fresh water releases, and I am sure that this would not be the only reason for red tide. Red tide has been around for ages. But, I find it hard to believe that it is only coincidence that often after there is a huge release of fresh water, we have a bad case of red tide. I am guessing there is a relationship here. In fact, recent scientific studies show that when the red tide makes contact with the brackish water from the lake, the algae blooms multiply immensely. I am not a scientist, but I believe this could account for the enormous amounts of dead fish from this last red tide.

Our canal has been so brackish that last summer we had two alligators swimming up and down our canal nearly every day. I sadly witnessed a manatee die right near my dock due to a red tide, which occurred right after a big release of fresh water. We have made laws restricting boaters' speed limits to protect manatees. We have put a moratorium on boat docks because it has something to do with killing sea grass, which manatees need to live on. Yet, the Corp of Engineers are killing tons of sea grass every time there is a release, and somehow red tide appears frequently after releases, which also kill numerous marine lives.

Sanibel's greatest asset has always been our water. People come here to play on the beaches and go boating. The quality of that water has declined intensely. Many times you go on the beaches now, and there are heaps of dead seaweed and grasses. There are dead fish on the beach every time there is a red tide. People get ill from inhaling the terrible fumes. The color of the water has been less than inviting for people to go for a swim. There is sediment floating through! the waters that use to be clear and green. Our economy depends on our beaches and water. I have talked to tourists who say that they would rather go to a Caribbean Island than come back to Sanibel because of the sad state of the beaches and water. T can't blame them. Our own Chamber of Commerce is reporting loss of business specifically due to the water quality of the area. The Corps of Engineers has started releasing massive amounts of fresh water from the lake daily through next July. They want to bring the Lake's level down at least 5 feet. It is certain that this will have a catastrophic effect on certain species of marine plants and animals. They will not have the winter to recover from the water releases that have occurred during the spring and summer. I for one do not want to waste time with more studies to find out when "we have exceeded a plant or animal's ability to survive". (Stephen Bortone, director of SCCF Marine Lab, quoted in the Island Sun on August 9, 2005).

I am addressing you to unite our community in the enormous battle that we have ahead of us. I know it is a tough battle of politics and big business, but in the mean time we have lost our pristine beaches, and wildlife is dying. Even the casual fishermen are complaining that there are no fish around because of the brackish waters. San Carlos Bay is now renamed "The Dead Bay".
The City of Sanibel officials have chosen to fight along side Lee County to stop this from happening!   They have put out a huge campaign with other cities to fight this. Please read all the local newspapers to keep yourselves informed on this extremely dangerous issue. I implore you to do your part in this. We all need to contribute to this cause. The media will let you how you can make a difference. We are all directly effected by this.

On November 10th at 6:30pm there will be a community forum to further educate us on this issue. The top authorities who are involved in fighting this battle will be there to speak and answer questions. You will be notified about the details of this forum at a later date.
Thank You, Maureen Valiquette