Situationally Aware

Almost all of us enjoy playing on our local waterways, there's no doubt about that. Water, specifically our Marco Island canals, river, and beaches. We sit on it, we sit in it, we swim and play in it with our friends and families. My column focuses on safety and ways to enhance safety in the communities we live in. Normally, that means safety for individuals, our health, safety, and overall well-being. Recently, the Marco Island Civic Association (MICA) wrote a letter to our city council, which they also posted in the MICAWave, their magazine. Additionally, they posted an editorial from the Collier Citizens Council titled, “Marco Island is a Sewage Lagoon.” Now, that got my attention. I have lived on this island in a home on a canal for 30 years, enjoying playing and boating on all the waters in our area. Sure, in my 30 years I have noticed some changes in the water in our area. But I suppose, like the old tale of the frog in a pot of heating water, we fail to notice that the problem is getting worse until it's too late. Sure, I have noticed in my 30 years that the clarity in my canal has decreased. Perhaps the manatees don’t come by as often, and there does seem to be more algae. But, like that frog, until I saw the letter from MICA and the editorial from the Collier Citizens Council, I just hadn’t given it much thought.

Well, as I always say, knowing that there are always people out there smarter than me, I thought I’d do a little research and talk to a few of them. As the letter from MICA states, the problem is a depletion of oxygen in the water. Now, as both a SCUBA diver and someone with some first aid training, I know that in any scenario, a loss of oxygen is never a good thing. Testing shows that oxygen in our waterways has dropped by 70% in four years, and algae growth seems to be the problem. So, looking at the city's own reports, I examined the April 2024 Algae map of our island. It seems there is a bunch of algae growing in almost all of the canals in our city, including an algae called PTOX or Pyrodinium - more on that in a minute. So, what's the big deal with algae? Well, it appears that algae consumes the oxygen in the water, and as MICA states in their letter, life-giving oxygen in our waterways can drop by as much as 65%. So, what causes the increase of algae growth? Excessive nutrients, in this case phosphorus, leads to the overgrowth of algae and eutrophication. Hmm, eutrophication? Time to consult Webster's dictionary on that one, which says one of the examples of eutrophication is harmful algae, dead zones, and fish kills! Harmful algae? That grassy-looking stuff, well, let's revisit PTOX or Pyrodinium algae. 

Per Wikipedia: "Pyrodinium has caused more human illnesses and fatalities than any other dinoflagellates that cause Paralytic Shellfish Toxin or PST." And according to the city's testing map, PTOX is present at the Swallow Ave testing site. 

So, our current sewage treatment plants are not removing phosphorus. Where does this phosphorus come from anyway? Well, according to Science Digest, up to 50% of the phosphorus load in domestic wastewater comes from human urine. Wait just one minute, when we swim, boat, play, etc. in our area, we are basically swimming and playing in OUR PEE?? Yep, looks like that is indeed the situation. So, aside from depleted oxygen, fewer fish and seagrass, less food for the manatees, and toxic, dangerous algae, we are swimming in pee water! OK, that’s enough for me. My question is, of course, how do the sewage plants in our city get this pesky phosphorus OUT OF OUR WATER!! 

It seems that a solution is available. All sewage treatment plants remove the "solids" known as sludge. Some will also remove Total Nitrogen (TN) but not touch the phosphorus (Marco). Others remove both the TN and the Total Phosphorus (TP). I have been informed that there is a finishing process called polishing that the Marco treatment plant can add to remove phosphorus. Even though the city of Marso currently sells the reused water for about $800,000 per year to three golf courses and to the condos and hotels along Collier, the question is: what would adding this final process cost? Research shows that after adding the polishing step it actually reduces operating costs.

Here is my suggestion. If you have not seen MICA’s letter to the city council, find it and read it. It’s very informative. Secondly, take the time, like I did as a resident and homeowner on this island I love, to do your own research, look into the city's testing and maps. And if you come away as alarmed as I did, take the time to speak to our city councilors and the city manager to express your concerns about the water quality in our waterways. I vote, and I, for one, vote yes for clean water in our waterways!