Salinity
readings for the North Spreader
The
data remains constant. The North Spreader receives huge volumes of poor quality
storm water from the 115 sq mile watershed during the
rainy season. During that period,
it is of course (as designed) entirely fresh water. When the Ceitus Barrier was in place, the Spreader distributed that
fresh water to the wetlands fringe west of Cape Coral, which corresponded with
historical flows and served to maintain the fish nursery as well as cleanse the
water before it entered Matlacha
Pass.
Removal
of the Ceitus Barrier has deprived the Cape wetlands
fringe of the fresh water necessary for the fish nursery and estuary to properly
function, and does serious point source fresh water pollution and siltation to
Back Bay and Matlacha Pass.
During
the dry season (when there is no storm water flow), the removal of the Ceitus Barrier allows the North Spreader to receive tidal salt water through the 1,000 sq ft opening created by the
removal of the Ceitus Barrier, and thus achieves
modest salinity levels. But, any
attempts by salt water species to colonize the North Spreader during the dry
season will of course be reversed the next rainy season.
Restoration
of the Ceitus Barrier would restore the North Spreader
to it's properly designed and formerly functioning
condition as a storm water distribution system mimicking historical
conditions.
Some
newspaper accounts in the last few days have suggested that spreader systems and
similar coastal environmental efforts are hopeless because of sea level
rise--that's nonsense. Sea level
rise in the North Spreader area is well established as some four inches since
the Spreader was built in 1976. The North Spreader was designed to raise the
fresh water level in the Spreader by 16 inches to facilitate flow through the
wetlands--we have another 12 inches of sea level rise to go before the Spreader
becomes irrelevant, and that will be many decades from now if it ever occurs. In
the meantime, DEP and other state agencies continue to spend hundreds of
millions of $$ on identical spreader systems in other parts of
Florida.
The
corrupt and illegal agreement by the DEP and the Cape Coral Government to
dismantle the North Spreader system was based on political considerations, not
environmental science or Florida law or policy.
Phil
Buchanan
3861
Galt Island Avenue
St
James City, FL 33956
Phone/fax:
239-283-4067
Email:
coolcherokee@comcast.net