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The Marker
NEWS OF THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON
I Volume 21 Number 3 Fall 20061
Industrial Cargo Proposed for Ft Pierce Harbor
Port Developer Lloyd Bell has submitted an application to
the Governor and Cabinet for a submerged land lease in
Fort Pierce at one of the berths where cargo operations
have been prohibited by St Lucie County's Master Plan for
Fort Pierce Harbor. Mr. Bell has argued that the Berth has
been used for cargo in
the past, though
discontinued years ago.
St. Lucie County, the
City of Ft. Pierce, State
Senator Ken Pruitt and
a coalition of
conservation groups
and recreational
fishermen oppose the
berth's use for cargo
due to its inconsistency
with the port master
plan as well as a long
list of potential
environmental problems
associated with cargo
vessel usage.
In April 2002, the
Marine Resources
St. Lucie Waterfront Council sponsored a scientific survey
of the environmental impact of ports on the East Coast of
Florida, with an emphasis on the Indian River Lagoon. The
survey collected all the peer-reviewed scientific papers to
provide an unbiased scientific assessment of the impact a
cargo port would have on the Indian River Lagoon. Some
concerns that would be problematic to the lagoon and
surrounding waterways include Dredging for berths,
channels and the turning basin permanently destroys the
benthic ecosystem and is associated with impacts beyond
the dredged area due to suspended solids clouding the
water and burying seagrasses and benthic organisms.
One study linked the turbidity generated by dredging of
Laguna Madre, Texas with the loss of over 58 square miles
of seagrass, which in the Indian River Lagoon generate
over $14,000 per acre per year in economic activity.
Studies of the ports of Baltimore and Norfork found
respectively 2.8 and 9.3 million metric tons of foreign ballast
water being released per year. Another study by the same
commission found 90% of the cargo vessels arriving in
Chesapeake Bay ports each year contained live foreign
organisms including barnacles, clams, juvenile fish and
viruses. An outbreak of cholera in Alabama was
traced to ballast water from South America. Invasive
species introduced by ballast water will cost Americans
over 3 billion per decade for just the zebra mussel alone.
To avoid barnacles, every large vessel must release 10
ppb of copper per square centimeter or the eqUIvalent in
TBT. For a large
ship this results in
2.86 pounds of
copper released per
day and 1 ,043 Ibs of
copper released per
year per vessel.
Copper is effective
as an anti-fouling
agent due to its
toxicity and TBT use
has been being
phased out due to
toxicity. State
Senator Ken Pruitt
wrote "this
community has
taken it upon
themselves to create
a vision for its
future. That vision is consistent with the one you created
for the State, to be a major player in the Bio-Science, Bio-
Technology arena, to create a world class Research and
Education region and to incorporate protecting our natural
resources in creating a strong economic development
environment. This vision does not include expanded cargo
operations at the port."
The Fort Pierce Sportfishing Club wrote "The fisherman
of St. Lucie County and the citizens of St. Lucie County
have already spoken and they do not want a cargo port
and that is where this submerged land lease would lead.
Please do no send the federal government the signal that
we do not care about out lagoon at a time when they are
about to approve $1.2 billion dollars for its restoration."
Sportfishing in the lagoon brings millions of dollars to
Florida each year, if the land lease is approved, those
millions of dollars will be lost. Bill Hearn, of the St. Lucie
Waterfront Council stated "Anyone that cares about
fishing, marine life or clean water to swim in needs to call
or write Senator Pruitt, the Governor and the members of
the Florida Cabinet."
Currently Governor Bush and his cabinet are expected
to decide on the issue on November 8 in Tallahassee.
MRC Membership Meeting Oct 21st - see pg. 4