Oxygen in the Marco canals has dropped 70% over the last four years. Oxygen is the most important water quality indicator - essential to all aquatic life. No oxygen – no life.
Two data sourceswere compared. The city measures phosphorus in sewage reuse water distributed as irrigation water. The city also measures oxygen in fourteen canallocations. Comparison of these two data sets showeda strong statistical correlation between high phosphorus in the sewage reuse water and low oxygen in the canals.
Nutrients in the sewage reuse water, nitrogen and phosphorus (think fertilizer), feedalgae in the canals. Low levels of algae are always present. When the equivalent of 70,000 bags of fertilizer from the reuse water are added to the canals each year, the algae population explodes. This is one bag of fertilizer for each canal every day. Decomposition of dead algae consumes canal oxygen.
Oxygen is dropping and phosphorus is increasing, indicating the existence of a major environmental problemin the Marco canals called “eutrophication.” No oxygen for the fish. No food forbirds and other wildlife. Algae in the water column blocks sunlight and the seagrass dies–this means no food for manatee. The algae scum on the surface of the canals stinks and is toxic. No swimming in the canals.
There is only one source of phosphorus on Marco Island – the sewage reuse water! The Marco eutrophication problem is an unintended consequence of the sewage reuse program implemented to save the Florida aquifer.
Keywords
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