Begging politicians for money to help restore a spring or a river is largely a waste of time, although we certainly do not discourage that. The way it is supposed to work, of course, is that people from an area elect someone to support their interests in areas of power.
In Florida, it seems that once elected, the official conveniently forgets who elected him/her and spends efforts to further his/her political career.
Just like most of the rivers in Florida, the Homosassa needs the same solution: less pumping and fewer nutrients entering the river and wetlands.
This is the solution that the State of Florida rejects, choosing instead to waste time attempting to invent little remedies to treat the symptoms and not the cause. Politicians, the DEP and water management district staff stay busy with make-work, keeping up appearances of doing something but avoiding the issue so as not to offend the polluters and water abusers.
Thanks to the HRRP for hard work for a good cause, and we wish them success. Thanks to this organization for bringing this problem to the forefront because our water protectors just turn a blind eye and ignore it.
Or at best, beat their chest saying how great they are while allowing the river to die.
Read the original article here in Citrus County Chronicle.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
Editorial l Homosassa River gets environmentally sucker punched
The Homosassa River Restoration Project (HRRP) has worked tirelessly since 2016 to find funding to restore the river after decades of pollution, which turned this once first magnitude springs river from a pristine water source into an algae-infested river, especially notable at the headsprings.
The HRRP was finally successful two years ago in gaining funding and to date has received around $9 million. This went into vacuuming about 25 acres of the nasty lyngbya, an algae that invaded the river and choked out the natural vegetation. This vegetation, including eelgrass, provides oxygen for water clarity, a protective environment for smaller fish to hide from bigger predators, and a diet for the manatees, which inhabit the river.
But serenity is hardly the goal of lyngbya. This nastiness doesn’t wait on hold while money is found to continue efforts to return the river to its pristine state. Think of lyngbya as Russia and the HRRP as Ukraine. There may have been some initial successes in getting rid of the lyngbya, but it is so overpowering that this algae can sweep in and destroy the efforts that have been made to clean the river and restore the environment.
State aid has essentially dried up. Steve Minguy, the HRRP’s president, said he and his team have focused on the state for funding when the HRRP began lobbying six years ago. They are continuing to do so, with the current efforts on the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its two groups, Springs Funding and the Springs Coast Watershed. Minguy said that it’s iffy concerning these DEP resources. His fingers are crossed.
Newly elected county commissioners Rebecca Bays and Diana Finnegan have indicated that river restoration is on their agenda. State Rep. Ralph Massullo has also carried the river restoration banner, having toured the river with HRRP board members. Newly elected state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia should also be lobbied, having replaced Sen. Wilton Simpson, a firm advocate of environmental restoration and a key member in acquiring the initial funding for the Homosassa River restoration.
We urge him to do so, especially since Bilirakis said, “I look forward to working with stakeholders at the local and state levels, and I will do all I can to identify potential federal sources of funding for projects such as the Homosassa River Restoration project.”
The HRRP is certainly at an important intersection in its goals of environmental restoration, and we urge the group to lobby all avenues available, including the county commission, state government and federal funding. Frankly, everyone should work together, as Bilirakis noted, to help restore the Homosassa River to its pure, clear water state that many folks remember from decades ago. It’s just the right thing to do.
