Stop dumping biosolids around Blue Cypress Lake | Guest column

Richard H. Baker

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump, asking him to hold off on a new round of discharges from Lake Okeechobee.

It worked. The Army Corps of Engineers agreed to temporarily hold back on the discharges.

State Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne, should make a comparable request of Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection with respect to the dumping of biosolids around Blue Cypress Lake and our Indian River Lagoon, urging them to take action to restore these waterways.

Blue Cypress Lake in northwest Indian River County is the headwaters lake for the St. Johns River, which carries precious, clean water all the way to Jacksonville. The Ocean Research Conservation Association has determined the bloom in Blue Cypress Lake contains the microscopic colonial blue-green algae Microcystis aeruginosa and Microcystis wesenbergii, which can be highly toxic to humans.

A blue-green algae bloom in Blue Cypress Lake in western Indian River County was found to contain the toxin microcystin, according to the Ocean Research & Conservation Association in Fort Pierce. Microcystin can cause nausea and vomiting if ingested and rash and hay fever symptoms if touched or inhaled.

Runoff drains from the Pressley Ranch, where biosolids from South Florida have been spread on their fields for the last six years.

Algae now also are found in the Stick Marsh near the C-54 canal.

Indian River County disposes of its biosolids in our landfill. Why allow our county and its waters to be the human waste receptacle for residents from South Florida? They are dumping at the expense of our environment, health, economy and social life.

The state Department of Environmental Protection stopped permitting the dumping of biosolids in the Kissimmee River/Lake Okeechobee Basin because of its harmful effects on water quality. Why, then, permit dumping around Florida’s most pristine lake and our lagoon?

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The St. Johns River Water Management District has spent millions of our tax dollars to clean the St. Johns River and preserve surrounding lands to maintain this major drinking water source for Melbourne, Orlando and other cities to the north. Why would district officials risk contamination after what has happened to Lake Okeechobee and the lagoon?

At a minimum, the Department of Environmental Protection should monitor the county’s four ranches that apply biosolids and test the runoff from these ranches to learn if there is a potential problem for the lake and lagoon.

Florida should invest in biosolids disposal research and immediately prohibit its disposal as currently allowed. The Regional Biosolids Symposium on June 8 focused on the harmful effects of biosolids and the need to prevent this source of pollution. It also identified research firms trying to develop effective processing plants to generate electricity from biosolids.

Pelican Island Audubon and the St. Johns Riverkeeper have been raising the alarm about increased pollution in Blue Cypress Lake for months. The two regulatory agencies charged with preventing water pollution — the St. Johns River Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection — refuse to act. The district tells us to complain to the department, while the department says, "They’ll look into it,” avoiding action.

Tragically, environmental protection in Florida tends to be reactive.

This natural wildlife area is being damaged, as is the public’s drinking water and health. This is a clear violation of the Clean Water Act, yet the state of Florida isn’t protecting our environment.

Scientists, such as those at ORCA, can map our county and state, showing us where the pollution and sources occur.

The Department of Environmental Protection, the governor and politicians must stop all pollution sources, including human-sewage dumping, septic tanks, and chemicals from lawns, roads, parking lots, agriculture and industry via canals.

Special thanks to Indian River County Commission Vice Chair Bob Solari and the board for having an ordinance drafted to ban or place a moratorium on biosolids dumping, and to the Corrigan Ranch for stopping the dumping of biosolids.

Citizens, write letters to our elected officials, urging them to prohibit biosolids from being spread on our land.

Richard H. Baker is president of Pelican Island Audubon.