MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — A $60 million proposal to dredge Marco Island's canal system is dividing homeowners and experts after city officials approved steps to explore the ambitious water quality project.
The Marco Island City Council recently approved a study in a narrow 4-3 vote to examine the feasibility of building approximately 30 mini islands throughout the city's extensive 100-mile canal network.
WATCH HOW THE NEW $60 MILLION PLAN AIMS TO RESTORE MARCO ISLAND’S CANALS:
Marco Island has grappled with water quality issues within its inland canals for years.
The proposed mini islands would function as natural filtration systems designed to capture and remove pollutants that have accumulated at the bottom of the waterways, according to Earthwerks, the Illinois-based company behind the water initiative known as C-HAWQ.
Company leaders presented the project's goals to city council on May 5 during a special-called meeting.
"We're going to take our canal system and turn it from an impaired waterway into probably the largest fishery on the island," said Dan Davies, a project executive with Earthwerks.
Not everyone is convinced the plan addresses the root of the problems.
"It's a totally ineffective waste of public funds. We should not do it," said Eugene Wordehoff, an industrial engineer who has studied Florida's water systems for years.
Wordehoff believes the proposal fails to address what he calls the real source of the pollution.
"There's 700 million gallons a year of partially treated sewage that's being dumped into our canals and that is what is causing the pollution," Wordehoff said.
"This is simply what they call a downstream project, which will have no effect whatsoever on the source of the pollution," he said. "What's needed on Marco is to go to the source — our sewage treatment plant — and upgrade it to advanced wastewater treatment."
If ultimately approved, the broader $60 million project could potentially be fully funded through state and federal water quality grants, according to Earthwerks.
"This maintenance item is overdue, and there's no question it will only continue to degrade," Davies said at the council meeting.
The city will still need to review the study's results, hold public hearings, and make additional decisions before any dredging work can begin.
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