Environmental issues cause debate

By ALEX LEARY

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 1, 2001

From sandhill cranes to scallops to stone crabs, a wide variety of species once again created news in Citrus County during the past 12 months.

Water-related issues also dominated headlines, as the drought worsened and plans moved forward for expanded central sewer lines in Homosassa and Crystal River.

Environmentalists took on big business, opposing new retail stores on U.S. 19 and fighting plans for a Citrus leg of the Suncoast Parkway, arguing it would only benefit developers and choke the area with traffic.

A remarkable journey

Seven states, 40 days, 1,250 miles, high winds, hot weather, one death and one defection. No one said the trip was going to be easy.

But when a flock of experimental sandhill cranes arrived in Citrus County on Nov. 11, none of that mattered.

The longest human-led bird migration made history and in doing so, scientists came one step closer to restoring one of the world's rarest birds, the whooping crane.

Flying the sandhills to St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve in Crystal River was no small task. The cranes were trained since birth to follow ultralight aircraft and were fed by humans in gray costumes.

"It's ironic that the whooping crane was driven to extinction by humans and technology, and now we're using human technology to bring the whooping crane back from extinction," project manager John Christian, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assistant regional director in Minneapolis, said moments after the sandhill cranes landed.

The trip was exhausting at times for the pilots and the birds, one of which left to join wild sandhills and another of which died along the way.

Still, getting 11 sandhills to Florida has convinced researchers they can do the same with whooping cranes.

They have a goal of establishing a migratory flock of more than 100 whoopers at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.

Septic systems out

Environmentalists have argued for years that septic systems threaten water supplies. And for years, Citrus County officials have talked about replacing them with central sewer lines, only to face insurmountable costs.

In 2000, however, millions of dollars in federal and state grants were awarded, putting projects in Homosassa and Crystal River on a fast track.

Homosassa received good news in October when the U.S. House of Representatives approved $1.5-million for the second phase of the Homosassa sewer project, which would extend a sewer line along Yulee Drive into Old Homosassa.

The state Legislature also got involved when it earmarked $1-million for Chassahowitzka and $750,000 for Homosassa for wastewater treatment projects.

A comprehensive study released in May of Chassahowitzka water showed conclusive signs of human waste in the canals, a sign that supported claims that septic systems built near the water are to blame for declining water quality.

In June, the state Department of Environmental Protection, or DEP, awarded Crystal River $4.3-million to replace more than 500 septic tanks.

A separate grant of $600,000 was awarded by the state and will fund construction of central sewer lines on U.S. 19.

That work is aimed toward Home Depot, though city officials want to hook up more businesses on U.S. 19 with the intention of annexing them into city limits.

Interests clash

Home Depot, which opened in October, did not get off to a good start with environmentalists. During construction, the groundwater table was punctured, forcing the supercenter to install synthetic liners.

Down the street, rumors of plans to build a Wal-Mart on more than 30 acres brought strong opposition from residents who said development would damage a tract of pristine coastal woodlands.

The project may hinge on a County Commission vote on whether to rezone a sliver of the property from low-intensity coastal and lakes to general commercial.

In other news

A proposed white-water kayak park near Lake Rousseau drew praise and criticism from local residents.

The project, which is still in its infancy, calls for the state to lease 500 acres along the Cross Florida Barge Canal to Rapid Pursuits of Casselberry.

Many view the potential for 1-million visitors as a boon, but others say the traffic will be overwhelming.

A management plan for Potts Preserve moved a step closer in January when a state DEP official announced a tentative three-way agreement with the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The deal, which has yet to be realized, called for Swiftmud to take over wetland property and turn it over to Fish and Wildlife to manage.

Airboaters and hunters strongly protested any such agreement, saying their recreational rights would be limited.

In December, Swiftmud presented a plan to the state to restore water flow patterns at the preserve. Man-made dikes and dams have for years altered the landscape.

It has already caused controversy -- some say the agency is going about the project in the wrong way -- and should be a major issue in the new year.

In October, the Withlacoochee River Basin Board approved a plan to replace the Wysong Dam. The plan calls for a series of pivoting metal plates supported by inflatable rubber tubes at the dam's former Carlson's Landing site.

The dam was torn down in 1988, but that action has been blamed for lower water levels throughout the Tsala Apopka lake chain. The rubber tube, some critics said, created a reservoir of sorts and helped recharge the Floridan Aquifer.

Commercial fishermen had a bountiful 2000 -- perhaps too good. Stone crabs were in great abundance, but demand was low, and seafood wholesalers began to limit the take.

Scallops were also on the rise, though bans on commercial harvesting were not lifted.

In July, researchers from the state's Surface Water Improvement Management Program began a project to revegetate Kings Bay with native plants. About 40,000 strands of naturally occurring Vallisneria americana were planted.

The plant has been pushed out of the bay by hydrilla, a non-native plant, and suffocated by algae.

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