April 16, 2007
Forum addresses fears with plans near Lake O, other water
issues
By Amy Sowder
asowder@news-press.com
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704160342
As rain drenched Fort Myers on Sunday, more than 80 people
attended a forum on water quality at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort
Myers, just off Daniels Parkway.
One hot topic from the four key speakers was the impact of
the proposed $5.7 billion coal-burning plant to be located near Lake
Okeechobee.
The state public service commission is expected to hold
hearings today and Tuesday about the need for the Florida Power & Light
plant on 5,000 acres of sugar-cane fields northwest of Moore Haven.
Environmentalists fear the plant will needlessly spew more
mercury and toxins into the already-polluted waterways when another fuel source
could be used without much more cost.
It would be the largest coal-burning plant in the country,
projected by FPL to produce 180 pounds of mercury a year, said Susan Glickman,
a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
"They tell you coal is the cheapest, but not
necessarily," Glickman said. "The cost of coal is rising, as well as
coal transportation and plant construction. Why not look at other energy
sources that were said to be too expensive, like solar energy?"
The negative consequences of the plant could filter into all
aspects of South Florida life, from the health of residents to the tourism
industry, she said.
"It's eye-opening," said Ian Wymbs, 32, of Cape
Coral. "There are so many underlying problems that are being ignored. I
really don't think saving the earth should be political."
The event was organized by the League of Women Voters of Lee
County, and seven environmental groups participated. Also, Fort Myers City
Councilman Warren Wright and Lee County Commissioner Tammy Hall were among the
crowd.
No one from FPL attended the forum, but experts said the
company was not specifically to blame. They said the utilities industry as a
whole needs to change.
Community leaders and residents listened as experts also
examined the economic and social impacts of Southwest Florida's failing
drainage system and dangerous toxins including red tide, nitrogen and
phosphate.
The Everglades restoration project — which increased the
water flow speed eight times over from Kissimmee on down through Lake
Okeechobee — was based on weather conditions that haven't been seen since
before 1994, said Paul Gray, a scientist with the Audubon Society of Florida.
Farmers and residents either have too much water, or too
little because the system drains too fast, he said. The system was based on
about 1 foot of water influx, whereas now we see more than 3 feet.
"We've got to catch more water, treat it and move it
south," Gray said.
He suggested updating the drainage system by buying farmland
surrounding Lake Okeechobee to use toward that effort and improving the
Caloosahatchee estuaries. "Heaven forbid, don't put in more residential
development," he said with a smile.
If the freshwater overflow can be caught and treated in time
before it reaches the Gulf of Mexico, that could help reduce algal blooms, some
of which are K. brevis, or red tide, experts said.
That sounded like a good idea to May-Wong Chou, 38, of
Bonita Springs.
Chou said she doesn't go to the beach anymore because she
thinks the red tide is causing her allergy problems.
"I get more congested, with sneezing and
headaches," Chou said. "I lived in this area 20 years ago and didn't
experience this."