Copyright 1998 Stuart News Company
The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News (Stuart,FL)
March 29, 1998, Sunday
SECTION: A Section; Pg. A1
LENGTH: 878 words
HEADLINE: DECADES OF ABUSE FLOW ON
BYLINE: Andrew Conte of the News staff
SUBJECT: pfiesteria piscicide fish disease ENVIRONMENT (70%);
SECTION: A Section; Pg. A1
LENGTH: 878 words
HEADLINE: DECADES OF ABUSE FLOW ON
BYLINE: Andrew Conte of the News staff
BODY:
Troubled Waters
"This generation will pay for the mistakes of the past
generations when it comes to the way we've treated Florida's environment."
"We reminisce about the way the river was. ... We never
thought we could pollute such a big body of water, but we have.
We're all guilty ..."
Every second for the past three weeks, 7,500 cubic feet of
Lake Okeechobee water has flowed through the St. Lucie Dam and
Locks near Palm City.
The water could have filled six Olympic-sized swimming pools
every minute. It flowed directly into the St. Lucie River and
Indian River Lagoon.
State scientists are blaming the water for creating the perfect
environment for a microorganism that might be killing fish in
the river and lagoon.
But other ecologists say the fish kills are just the latest
symptom of decline in Florida's fragile environment after decades
of abuse.
"This generation will pay for the mistakes of the past
generations when it comes to the way we've treated Florida's environment,"
said Mark Ferrulo, director of the Florida Public Interest Research
Group. "We're seeing some of the long-term repercussions
now, and we'll all pay the price."
Some area residents who have watched the degradation of the
river and lagoon place the blame close to home.
"We reminisce about the way the river was, but the point
we should make is that we are the enemies," said Sandy Thurlow,
an amateur historian and Martin County resident for 35 years.
"We never thought we could pollute such a big body of water,
but we have. We're all guilty of not thinking it would get this
bad."
Earlier this month, homeowners started reporting thousands
of sick fish in the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon. Scientists
from the state Department of Environmental Protection tested the
water and say the microalga Cryptoperidiniopsis has caused the
mysterious lesions and tumors on the fish.
They think the organism eats mucus off the fish, leaving them
susceptible to attack by parasites. The microalgae apparently
thrive on the nutrient-rich fresh water flowing through the St.
Lucie Canal into the estuary.
Although the fresh water flows from Lake Okeechobee today,
the problem's source goes back more than nine decades. In 1904,
Napoleon Bonaparte Broward won the governor's race on a promise
to drain the Everglades for agricultural development.
"There were a few people with foresight, but there was
generally very little opposition to (Broward's) idea," said
Susan Gillis, curator of the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society
Museum.
Soon after Broward won the election, the Army Corps of Engineers
started carrying out his proposal. By 1923, they had dug the St.
Lucie Canal (C-44), connecting Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie
River.
After several projects to widen and deepen the canal since
then, it remains largely intact as the original design. When lake
water reaches dangerously high levels, the corps can increase
flow into the canal to relieve pressure on dikes.
The water rushes through vast cattle ranches and lush citrus
farms before hitting the St. Lucie River. Then, as the fresh water
pervades the estuary, it flows through the urban areas of Palm
City and Stuart.
Along the way, the water picks up fecal coliform from ranches,
pesticide from groves and a mix of everything from motor oil to
septic overflow in urban areas, environmentalists said.
"Development has affected the river by adding to the nutrient
load," said Max Quackenbos, a board member of the St. Lucie
River Initiative. "We all have lawns that we put stuff on
- probably too much stuff - and we have septic tanks that don't
always work."
Besides the lake water, the river and lagoon also receive storm
water from the C-23, C-24 and C-25 canals in St. Lucie County.
They also contribute silt and runoff.
"Storm water runoff is a major issue in Florida,"
Ferrulo said. "It just takes the will of a community to decide
if they want to protect their drinking water and protect their
lakes and rivers."
Donna Melzer, chairwoman of the Martin County Commission, agreed
Wednesday to support efforts to redirect and clean storm water
before it reaches the estuary. She had opposed the idea but changed
her mind after the rash of fish kills, she said. Her support will
be critical because three of the five commissioners had been against
the project.
Local governments need to take more steps to protect the environment
before the damage to the river and other sensitive places becomes
permanent, said Matt Sexton, Florida representative of The Conservation
Fund. "We're developing South Florida and the Treasure
Coast so quickly," he said. "If we identified the green
places and protected these resources, we would have a much healthier
community in the future, whether it's the community of fishes
in the Indian River Lagoon or the human communities."
Fresh lake water continues to pour through the St. Lucie Canal.
Enough water flows into the estuary every day to cover 15,000
acres with one foot of water.
Federal engineers worked Friday to increase that flow, saying
they will release 8,000 cubic feet of water every second and continue
releasing water each day until some time in June.
Story Filed By The Stuart News,Stuart,Florida
GRAPHIC: (B/W) photo of man holding fish
LOAD-DATE: April 1, 1998