April 11, 2007
Re: "Red tide causes unclear," Kevin McCarthy,
April 1. There is a medical practice for diagnosing diseases doctors refer to
as ruling out the cause.
Kevin McCarthy's letter to the Mailbag may have provided an
example of ruling out a big contributor to red tide outbreaks, well, at least
lessened big agriculture's burden as cause celebre.
If they are not releasing nitrified water (if we accept
nutrients exacerbate RT blooms, and we do) then the nutrients must be coming
from somewhere else.
There is the upstream areas of Lake Okeechobee (a big
conveyor, collector of nutrients) and the downstream areas. No runoff or
releases due to drought makes one look for another source. This one isn't easy
because it involves lots of votes and doesn't lend itself to being made a
scapegoat.
I'm referring to us, with our lush green lawns and
landscapes. The reason I consider this is: The less it rains the more we
irrigate and the more we irrigate without the free nitrogen of rain the more we
fertilize to stay green, and so do golf courses.
That's it; it must be the golf courses. Does that add up?
MIKE BARTLEY
Fort Myers Beach
Maybe Mr. McCarthy was too premature in stating that there
has been no recent releases of Lake Okeechobee water. After I finished reading
his letter I turned the page and saw that 3 million gallons of water were
released the day before. It doesn't say how much more pollutants are in a
gallon of water vs. how much there were five years ago.
Maybe 3 million gallons of water is not a lot, but after the
billions and billions of gallons of polluted water dumped our way, it will take
a long time for Mother Nature to clean the mess that has been created. So red
tide and the algae that causes it are going to be around for a long time even
if there were no releases.
Another point I would like to make is Sanibel residents have
spent over $56 million to have a sewer system on the island. No more septic
systems. What has Hendry County done lately to help clean up the water?
BOB FODOR
Sanibel
Kevin McCarthy, Hendry County Commissioner, poses the
question, "when are coastal activists going to quit pointing the finger at
the agricultural industry for our algae and red tide problems?" Proudly
considering myself one of the coastal advocates I would like to answer Mr.
McCarthy.
We are going to quit blaming the agricultural industry for
these problems when we start to see solutions that don't exclusively benefit
them. They and their influence are the causes directly responsible for the
pollution of Lake Okeechobee. They are directly responsible for the excessive
and dangerous quantities of water maintained in the lake for their irrigation
needs.
They are directly responsible for the various
"solutions" to the problems, which interestingly profit only them.
They and their agents have controlled and manipulated this system for their
advantage, and even now, plans to cure the problems are little more than the
creation of additional water storage and treatment areas to continue the status
quo of protecting the farm industry to the detriment of everyone else along the
waterways.
I will tell Mr. McCarthy when we are going to quit pointing
the finger at the agricultural industry; it will come when we achieve fair
representation on governing agencies like the South Florida Water Management
District board, when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection begins
to live up to its name, not down to its actions. Perhaps when government
officials like Kevin McCarthy start to look for solutions that benefit us all,
we can stop identifying the culprits in this crisis. Until he does that he may
be absolutely certain, the finger-pointing is going to continue.
PAUL REYNOLDS
Sanibel
I can't tell you how disappointed I was to read Kevin
McCarthy's letter. As a Hendry County commissioner, he should be better
informed.
He accuses "activists" in Lee County of claiming
that red tide is caused by water releases from Lake Okeechobee. All the
"activists" I know here are much too savvy about red tide to say
that. We know that red tide forms out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. We
also know, and so does the staff of the South Florida Water Management
District, that red tide blooms and grows like crazy when it reaches coastal
waters. That's because there are accumulated nutrients from years of polluted
fresh water releases in our estuaries and coastal areas.
The massive amounts of nutrients in the Lake O water
releases of 2004 and 2005 did not evaporate into thin air. They accumulated in
the estuaries and coastal areas, and they still feed all kinds of algae blooms.
Dying algae becomes yet more nutrient material that feeds more algae blooms. We
were just dumped on way too much, and may now be past the tipping point of
being able to recover our water quality. Not that I detect even a note of
concern about that in Mr. McCarthy's letter.
I don't know why he was writing about red tide at this time.
We are not suffering from big red tide blooms at this time. It is red drift
algae that is plaguing our beaches, and green algae still plagues the J.N.
"Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge (visited by more people than
any other national wildlife refuge in the country).
Red drift algae is a macro-algae and is very different from
red tide. Red drift algae is fed by the nutrient nitrogen, and it will only
bloom in massive amounts once the turbid waters clear up and enough light falls
on the bottom of the Gulf in coastal areas.
Does Mr. McCarthy realize how this agricultural runoff from
the entire SFWMD is starting to harm our economy in the coastal areas, which is
much more significant to this state than the agricultural economy is? Does he
realize how many people are being negatively affected by this? Does he even
care a tiny bit? Is the problem that he cares only about his area's
agricultural way of life and to heck with everyone else's?
On one matter I'll agree with Mr. McCarthy: It is high time
for the agricultural and urban areas north of Lake Okeechobee to clean up their
act in regard to their waters, which drain into our waters. And while Mr.
McCarthy is at it, it looks like there is a significant source of nitrogen
entering the Caloosahatchee in Hendry County. I hope he will find it and have
it cleaned up. According to the SFWMD, 88 to 92 percent of the nitrogen in the
Caloosahatchee comes from east of the Franklin Locks.
BARBARA JOY COOLEY
Sanibel
Much of what Mr. McCarthy wrote is technically correct as
long as he refers to red tide. However if he had referred to red drift algae he
would have been be very much in error.
The nutrient-rich water releases from Lake Okeechobee along
with the runoff from the land along the Caloosahatchee River are what causes
the red drift algae to grow at an abnormal rate in our estuaries and in the
near shore Gulf of Mexico. This red drift algae eventually lands on our
beaches, carried there by the waves and tides.
Much of the nutrients get into Lake Okeechobee from the
Kissimmee River, which transports the surface runoff and treated effluent from
thousands of septic tanks in homes along the river.
During this recent dry spell there have been few, if any
water releases, and the result can be seen at beaches practically free of red
drift algae. This, in itself, reinforces the fact that the nutrient-rich water
releases are a major reason we ultimately end up with red drift algae, not red
tide, on our beaches.
Mr. McCarthy, our problem is not red tide, it is the red
drift algae contaminating our beaches and near shore waters.
BERNARD M. LUBETKIN
Sanibel
The coming restrictions on sprinkling are a positive step in
dealing with the water shortage. We can and must do more.
We moved to Colorado in the late '40s, and were welcomed by
advice by the governor's son: "Water is our most precious resource. Use it
conservatively, knowing drought dogs our heels at every step." He knew,
and we learned quickly, that there was no other option but to use water with
care.
Wet down quickly in the shower, turn water off while you
lather with soap, then turn water on for quick rinse. Brush teeth, then turn
water on for quick rinse. Scrape dishes after meals and rinse in a shallow
basin of water; save dishwashing until you have a full load. Launder dirty
clothes when you have a full load. Sweep clean what you can in and around the
house; use water only when necessary.
We began to realize that gallons of water had been wasted
down the drain before we made these changes. You get the idea. These steps
sound nit-picky, but one household's savings can be remarkable. In the aggregate,
if our community will practice the same care, we will make a real difference.
Let's do it.
CAROL H. EHRLICH
Fort Myers