by Alan Richie
As you can see from the photo below, the post-dredge conditions in Wiggins Pass are good. The contractor has been back recently to address maintenance issues with a few of the channel markers but from a safety and navigation standpoint, the pass is in good shape.
Conditions aren’t as good in the channel that heads south into the residential canals around the Vanderbilt Lagoon. Shoaling has occurred over the past 20 years in that waterway since the last dredge and shallow water exists in at least three places that restricts access to Wiggins Pass and the Gulf of Mexico from the south.
Over the past few months, I’ve discussed the successful dredging project in the Pass and the need for all of us to get responsibly involved to continue to improve the cleanliness of the water, boating safety and the navigability of the vital waterways feeding the Cocohatchee River. The problems with these impaired waterways are obvious. There is increasingly poor boating access for properties with direct water access. In less conspicuous ways, there is increasing amounts of debris, higher nutrient content in the water, and reduced oxygen levels. In those waters, the increased introduction of pollutants from storm water runoff is also staying in those back channels. Ultimately, if not corrected, this decrease in usability will reduce the recreational value of the waterways and result in lower relative property values in that area.
These problems have been caused, at least in part, by the continued and rapid real estate development of Collier County. More people, hardscape and storm water runoff from neighborhoods introduces more pollutants (oil, fertilizer, pesticide and pet waste) coming into the residential channels. The real estate development continues and there is no sign that the future rate of development in the area will decrease. It is up to the citizens of Collier and Lee counties to get involved by working closely with local government and offering important factual information and practical, cost-effective solutions. Personal engagement will help to reduce the negative impact of these problems.
The Vanderbilt Waterway Action Group, a new organization in the Vanderbilt Lagoon area, has started to take the initiative to get the channel between the Cocohatchee River and the Bluebill Bridge dredged back to its historic navigable depth at mean low water. Right now, the water depths in the marked channel are not fully navigable and there are over 2,200 properties served by this waterway. It seems likely that fixing this problem will require the formation of a special taxing district (a very small tax with a high direct payback to property owners) to raise funds to specifically maintain a safe and reliable access to the Gulf with the with a direct benefit of protecting property values. As this work begins to “ramp up” you should visit their website to get the latest information. That information can be found at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/199114457376503/
Check it out!