Brent Batten: Everyone talks about the water, but is anyone doing anything about it?

Water, water everywhere.

With apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, his ancient mariner could hardly have been surrounded more by water than we are here in Southwest Florida.

Both literally, in the way the Gulf, rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, canals and swales dominate the topography but also figuratively, in the way water commands our attention, especially these days.

As summer arrives, we wait with trepidation to see whether it brings a repeat of last year’s waterborne calamities of red tide and blue-green algae.

We’re helpless, in the short term, to do much about it.

Brent Batten

Heavy rains will necessitate the release of large volumes of water from Lake Okeechobee down the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers, creating the freshwater mix that encourages algae blooms. Warm temperatures and fertilizer runoff add to the recipe.

Potential solutions involving billions of dollars in investments to store and treat even more billions of gallons of water will take years to complete.

So, the best we can do right now is talk about things.

That’s exactly what’s been happening.

U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney convened a meeting of government scientists, health experts and local officials last week to talk about ways to better communicate and respond to the next crisis.

After the meeting, which was closed to the public, Rooney met with the press to talk about what was talked about.

On Friday, Rooney convened another meeting, one open to the press and public.

More:Rooney gathers high-powered panel for second roundtable on toxic algae, but this time, it was open to all

About 20 panelists gathered at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida

The size of the panel is indicative of the scope of the problem.

Participants brought up manifestations of the crisis ranging from the obvious —environmental damage to fisheries and wetlands, economic harm through lost tourism, health concerns from the toxic nature of the blooms — to the less obvious, like a potential drop in charitable giving if recurring blooms cause donors to move elsewhere.

Similarly, a range of likely causes was identified, each requiring its own corrective action.

Among them, freshwater releases from Lake O; fertilizer runoff from farms, lawns and golf courses; human waste from septic tanks and even from central sewer systems that aren’t up to modern standards; and wetlands destruction that reduces the amount of natural filtration that can occur.

Just as no problems were solved when Rooney met with scientists and local leaders behind closed doors Tuesday, none were solved Friday either.

Rooney said he's confident the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers understands the importance of minimizing the flow of freshwater from the lake. Beyond that, few concrete steps can be taken that will yield immediate results. 

But, Rooney said, it’s important for the community to have an ongoing dialogue about the problem and what is being done to fix it.

“I think at least we accomplished that,” Rooney said.

More:Florida Department of Health emails show agency struggled to manage algae crisis

The talking doesn’t stop there. On Tuesday, Collier County commissioners are set to hear two more presentations on water quality in Southwest Florida.

The Seminole and Miccosukee tribes will offer their insights.

Both tribes have significant stakes in the issue, with long histories as stewards of the land.

Amos Tiger, chairman of the Seminole Tribe’s water commission, said the tribe owns 90,000 acres, home to 3,600 tribe members.

The stormwater retention areas that are the backbone of Everglades restoration plans clean phosphorus from the water but don’t do much to clean other pollutants, a presentation Tiger prepared for Tuesday’s meeting states.

With generations of experience living in South Florida, “The Tribe emphasizes the need to utilize historical knowledge in planning for water management activities,” his presentation concludes.

Dr. Lisa Krimsky, a University of Florida/IFAS regional specialized agent for water resources, will also make a presentation to commissioners, this one about current research into blue-green algae and red tide.

In it, Krimsky notes the recent red tide bloom was the worst in 20 years but far from the worst ever. Last year's events have spurred new initiatives, including a symposium on the science surrounding the blooms set for August.

What it all amounts to is an ocean of words meant to better prepare us for, but not prevent, another bout with toxic waters this year.

Like the ancient mariner, we’re faced with the figurative prospect of water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.

Connect with Brent Batten at brent.batten@naplesnews.com, on Twitter @NDN_BrentBatten and at facebook.com/ndnbrentbatten. Keep up with my columns by becoming a digital subscriber.