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Mucky sediments is a phrase that sounds
nearly as bad as the reality. Anyone who has tried to wade along
the shores of Old Tampa Bay understands exactly what mucky
sediments are: a thick sludge with seemingly no bottom that will
pull off your shoes or sandals. Even someone wearing hip waders
struggles in mucky sediments. That slimy goo, not surprisingly, is
suspected of being harmful to seagrasses and living organisms of
all kinds from shellfish to wading birds. Longtime residents know
Old Tampa Bay once was not coated with mucky sediments. White sand
beaches were common along the bay as recently as the 1950s. The
rich diversity of shellfish began to decline as development
accelerated, but the historical record is clear in the presence of
many shell middens and ceremonial mounds such as the one preserved
in Philippe Park. A population of thousands of native Americans
thrived along the shores of the bay and feasted on shellfish for
thousands of years. Today no one would dare eat shellfish from Old
Tampa Bay, even if they could be found.
So it is one welcome, albeit small, step
forward that the Southwest Florida Water Management District is
working with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program to study the source of
the muck build-up in the uppermost portion of Old Tampa Bay, the
portion known as Safety Harbor. Pinellas County and the cities of
Oldsmar and Safety Harbor are helping fund the $149,494 project.
The source of the mucky sediments undoubtedly is a combination of
factors, although there is good reason to suspect the construction
of the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal was and continues to be a major
contributor. Development all around the bay is another source, not
to mention the sewage that once flushed into the bay with virtually
no treatment. The last several decades have seen an end to that
specific practice and there has been some improvement in water
quality and growth of sea grass since. But the muck persists.
The University of South Florida's College
of Marine Science, Eckerd College and the U.S. Geological Survey
will conduct the study. If the study is excellent, it will detail
where the muck has originated and how toxic it is. With that long
overdue effort complete, local governments and environmental
agencies can begin discussing exactly what other overdue tasks can
be completed next. Obviously the first is an aggressive effort to
prevent additional sediments from flowing into the bay. A major
redesign and reconstruction of the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal
probably will be necessary — and expensive. The study also is
to offer recommendations on physically removing the muck. Such a
project is likely to make rebuilding the canal seem the simple
step. It also will require consideration of rebuilding at least
parts of the Courtney Campbell Causeway to allow for better tidal
flushing of Old Tampa Bay.
Given the likely scope and cost of the
ultimate fight against mucky sediments, it is no surprise so many
local governments and agencies have been more willing to offer lip
service than dollars. A close encounter with those mucky sediments,
however, leaves no doubt about the necessity if we are ever again
to see a healthy bay.
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