News
Apr 27 2010
Oyster project endangered
This week the U.S. Army Corps of engineers started releasing millions of gallons of fresh water from Lake Okeechobee into the usually salty St. Lucie Estuary.
"It’s not just the water it’s what’s in the water; there’s suspended silt and sediment and chemicals," said Mark Perry, a biologist with the Florida Oceanographic Society.
The Corps says it needs to lower the lake level before rainy season to limit the flood risk.
But biologist Mark Perry says doing this damages the river, killing sea grasses and endangering a wide array of aquatic life.
"We’ve got to stop these releases and give this estuary a break," he said.
The problem isn’t new. The Army Corps has been releasing water into the estuary for generations.
The difference this year: $4 million of your tax money, part of the federal stimulus plan, is going toward populating the river with oysters to help clean it.
Perry says those oysters could very well die because of the lake releases.
"If you get too much fresh water it is very detrimental and damaging to the oysters," he said.
Perry says oysters provide a powerful, natural way of cleaning water. The oysters spawn now, during the spring, but he says they need salty water to thrive and with so much lake water coming their way he says you might as well scrap the stimulus project at least for this year because the oysters will never survive.
Army Corps officials say they’re sensitive to the oyster problem, and that they’ve scaled back the releases as much as possible.
"It’s a tough balancing act. We’re trying to make sure we take into account all aspects of the environment of the estuary as well as the lake and public health and safety," said Sean Smith of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Perry said he was thrilled to learn the government was finally investing in the river’s future, but now he’s afraid that money may wash away with nothing to show for it.
The releases will continue through May 4.
"It’s not just the water it’s what’s in the water; there’s suspended silt and sediment and chemicals," said Mark Perry, a biologist with the Florida Oceanographic Society.
The Corps says it needs to lower the lake level before rainy season to limit the flood risk.
But biologist Mark Perry says doing this damages the river, killing sea grasses and endangering a wide array of aquatic life.
"We’ve got to stop these releases and give this estuary a break," he said.
The problem isn’t new. The Army Corps has been releasing water into the estuary for generations.
The difference this year: $4 million of your tax money, part of the federal stimulus plan, is going toward populating the river with oysters to help clean it.
Perry says those oysters could very well die because of the lake releases.
"If you get too much fresh water it is very detrimental and damaging to the oysters," he said.
Perry says oysters provide a powerful, natural way of cleaning water. The oysters spawn now, during the spring, but he says they need salty water to thrive and with so much lake water coming their way he says you might as well scrap the stimulus project at least for this year because the oysters will never survive.
Army Corps officials say they’re sensitive to the oyster problem, and that they’ve scaled back the releases as much as possible.
"It’s a tough balancing act. We’re trying to make sure we take into account all aspects of the environment of the estuary as well as the lake and public health and safety," said Sean Smith of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Perry said he was thrilled to learn the government was finally investing in the river’s future, but now he’s afraid that money may wash away with nothing to show for it.
The releases will continue through May 4.
