Everglades: Friends of the Everglades

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2003
The Great Flush of the Caloosahatchee

Concerned about the great flush of the Caloosahatchee (C-43 in CORPS talk) that is happening, again? A release of billions of gallons for days on end, over 10,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) as I write this. http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/omd/rt.html (for instantaneous data select "Clewiston" and then "S-79" - CORPS talk for the Franklin Lock) or for last week's report go to http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/h2o/reports/r-s79m.txt . The River is already running fresh and black to Cape Coral and beyond. The releases are doing serious damage to the estuary yet again. The SFWMD scientists say any flow over 3000 cfs is damaging. http://sofia.usgs.gov/sfrsf/rooms/coastal/caloosahatchee/results/index.html .

There is concern about the bull rushes drowning in Lake Okeechobee so the lake has to be drawn down; the Indian River Lagoon has been saved so only limited amounts of water can be released east; the water is too polluted to be released south into the Everglades. There doesn't seem to be much concern for few remaining grass beds in the upper tidal Caloosahatchee River nor the impact on Pine Island Sound or the Gulf of Mexico. The area's environment has suffered tremendously in recent years. There were square miles of dead zone the gulf last summer in a cloud of black water from the releases. Virtually all the aquatic vegetation in the upper tidal estuary has been killed in recent years. The crabs and fish have virtually disappeared. Remember the winter season red tides we experienced which killed numerous mantees and huge amounts of sea life; the barren feeder creeks in the upper tidal zone; and the manatees swimming 15 miles down the ICW in heavy boat traffic from the power plant to find food? The releases should have been done earlier, but if there had been a dry period it would have been bad for the sugar so the water managers waited too long and then it rained and now the River pays the price. Tell the SFWMD officials how you feel -- http://www.sfwmd.gov/misce/1_contact.html

The passage in the Florida legislature and signing by Gov. Bush of postponement of the date for achieving water quality standards acceptable for the Everglades sawgrass, and therefore releases south into the Everglades rather than down the Caloosahatchee is a huge blow to the health of the system. It pushes the time table for any hope for recovery of the Caloosahatchee ten more years away. The Supreme Court has just announced it will consider whether or not the Miccosukee can continue to prevent the SFWMD from dumping the currently polluted water south, http://www.news-press.com/news/local_state/030628everglades.html . Where is that water now going- you guessed it. Let your representatives both here and in Washington and the Governor know what you think about the water quality issue. http://www.everglades.org/action09.html

The $200 million dollar C-43 Basin Project (with a capacity of 50+ billion gallons - 17 billion gallons were dumped from the lock last week!) doesn't address the problem of too much water in any meaningful way. It is intended to help with "minimum" flows (300cfs) necessary to protect the estuary. The meeting on recreational uses of the proposed facilities June 25/26 didn't offer much insight nor hope for a multi use reservoir. The CORPS seems to have a design in mind and it doesn't include you boating on what might be one of the largest lakes Florida. Such a design is possible but Fish and Wildlife say they haven't been in the loop. http://www.news-press.com/news/local_state/030625reservoir.html . The proposed 44 deep injection wells (ASR) only have a capacity of 5 million gallons a day and each need a 5 acre pond and treatment facilities. Major issues remain on the quality of the water they would be releasing into the system and the ecological cost of the project(s). Let your representatives and the CORPS know that if such a reservoir is built, you want boating access! It's your money they are spending. Contact the C-43 Basin Project - NEPA coordinator Susan Conner susan.l.conner@usace.army.mil

Sites for the C-43 Basin Project have yet to be chosen but it looks like there will be several new water control structures built - possibly even another lock on the Caloosahatchee - and several reservoirs. The reservoir at Berry Groves site (where the ARS test well is), which has already been purchased, will not be large enough for the amount of water they project they need. Go to www.evergladesplan.org for the official word. Attend the public hearings.

There are several new links on the CRCA website www.caloosahatchee.org that will help keep you informed. Check out www.everglades.org. The newspaper series on CERT in the Washington Post and Ft. Myers News-Press can be linked from the CRCA website.

There is also a very serious movement afoot to try to stop the FP&L plant on the Caloosahatchee from releasing superheated water into the system. No warm water and the manatees will go somewhere else in the winter as nature intended. No manatees and some of the boating issues for the ICW are solved. Stay tuned and get involved. Contact ken@swfmia.com for additional information.

Want to know which elected government officials to contact and how on issues that concern you? This website should make it easy. http://congress.org/congressorg/officials/state

Make your voice heard.

Join CRCA / Riverwatch,www.caloosahatchee.org and give the organization more clout.

Sincerely,

Pete Quasius

2003The Great Flush of the Caloosahatchee

2003
The Great Flush of the Caloosahatchee