Kevin Lollar
Ft. Myers News-Press
Aug. 25, 2009
Local scientists and environmentalists say the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to set limits on nutrients entering Florida's waters will help prevent algal blooms in the Caloosahatchee River.
The EPA's decision settled a lawsuit filed last year by the Sierra Club, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Florida Wildlife Federation and other groups who wanted the agency to set numeric standards for nutrient runoff.
"It's just a better way of assessing how we're doing and what we can do to improve the river," said Marti Daltry, regional conservation organizer for the Sierra Club in Fort Myers. "The EPA will have specific nutrient criteria that say, 'OK, here's the level; you can't go higher than that.'"
Following the extremely wet rainy seasons of 2004 and 2005, nutrient-rich water from Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee watershed caused a series of algal blooms in the river and the Gulf of Mexico.
Macroalgae choke waterways, smother seagrasses and foul beaches, and some microalgae species are toxic.
Macroalgae, which include red drift algae, and microalgae, which include blue-green algae, also cause oxygen depletion, which can kill fish and other organisms. As algae die, they decompose and suck even more oxygen from the water.
"Now, we'll be able to have numeric criteria to reduce source pollutants," said Roland Ottolini, director of the Lee County Division of Natural Resources. "However, it's important to understand that these criteria can change from one part of the state to another. Hopefully, they'll realize that estuary systems in Southwest Florida are different from lakes in North Central Florida. One size doesn't fit all."
Lee County Commissioner Bob Janes, whose district includes Sanibel, said nutrient limits will be good for the river and estuary. "Is it going to have an effect? I hope so," he said. "Will it be the answer? Probably not. It's another piece of the puzzle that we need to put in place. From that standpoint, it will have a positive impact."
Sanibel and Lee County already have fertilizer ordinances aimed at reducing phosphorus and nitrogen runoff. Among other things, the ordinances prohibit the use of fertilizers during the rainy season. Under Lee County's ordinance, fertilizer can't be applied within 10 feet of a water body; for Sanibel, it's 25 feet.
"Lee County has tried to be proactive in working toward reducing any type of discharge that causes adverse impacts," said Kurt Harclerode, operations manager with the Division of Natural Resources. "Our fertilizer ordinance is designed to help each citizen do something to help prevent algal blooms. We all knew (the EPA's nutrient limits) were coming. It means that all local governments are looking at potentially spending major money on water-quality treatment."
According to the settlement, the EPA must propose its new nutrient limits by Jan. 14; the rule must be finalized by October 2010.
"We're excited about this news," said Rae Ann Wessel, natural resources policy director for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. "Everything flows downstream. Even if we didn't have Lake Okeechobee discharges, we have significant inputs from our watershed. We have to look at all these sources to clean up our waters. This is the hammer that makes it happen."
