Back on Friday, March 13th, piles of dead fish were found in and around Buccanear Lagoon on the south end of Fort Myers Beach. 5 days later the town determined the cause was low oxygen levels in the water.
Now, four vacant properties in the area of the fish kill are being investigated for possible runoff which may have contributed to the fish kill. The addresses under investigation are 7821 Buccaneer Road, 8039 Lagoon Road, 8061 Lagoon Road and 8153 Lagoon Road. This is an ongoing investigation started this week by the town which has also notified the Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Health,
The town is investigating whether pesticides, materials from sewers, or dirt from the properties migrated into the water leading to hundreds of fish winding up dead only in that area.
On Monday, town code enforcement officers reported that they were unable to obtain photos pertaining to the dirt migration into the water based on access to the properties they had by land and they may need to schedule visits by boat.
Of course, piles of dead fish make everyone understandably think the cause is red tide. Several years ago, red tide was the cause of massive amounts of dead fish all over Fort Myers Beach. However, this was an isolated incident and red tide was ruled out quickly. There have also been big fluctuations in water temperature from several cold spells this winter.
Back on April 18th, Fort Myers Beach Environmental Project Manager Chadd Chustz said, “Low oxygen levels in marine environments are frequently caused by nutrients entering local waterways through fertilizer runoff from surrounding properties.”
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The new storm water system on Estero receives water from as far north as the Wyndham property and diverts it into that lagoon. That water used to go onto EBIA property and into its Storm Water system. Monitoring at the outfall should be done to determine if that is the problem.
PH from tile work concrete work painting and of course fertilizers. Unfortunately secluded lots and waterways make ideal locations for people to dump illegally. MS4 is a real issue and enforcement often occurs during non traditional work hours……..
Oops…wrong subject. Can’t delete.
Anything new on the writ of certiorari ?