St. Lucie Waterway Council                                                                             March 12, 1997
Delores Johnson, Chair
429 N. 19 St.
Ft. Pierce, Fl. 34950

Council Members,                        

It has come to my attention that there is a proposal to deepen the Port of Ft. Pierce by an additional 6 ft. I believe that this would be a serious mistake and could result in environmental harm to the Port and interconnecting regions of the Indian River and nearshore coastal waters. The depth of the Port is now 28 ft. and the proposal would be to increase the depth to 34 ft. The depths of the connecting Indian River Lagoon and nearshore coastal waters are quite shallow (less than 10 ft.). Dredging the Port to 34 ft. will reduce vertical mixing, causing increased stratification and stagnate water to develop in the dredged regions that will trap organic matter, resulting in low-oxygen concentrations, high turbidity and poor water quality. In short eutrophic conditions can develop. These deep waters of poor water quality can be brought to the surface and spread into the Indian River Lagoon and nearshore coastal waters by prop turbulence from deep draft vessels, passage of strong cold fronts or intense meteorological events, causing unpleasant odors, high turbidity, decreased sun light and low-oxygen stress to bottom plant communities. All effort should be exerted to prevent further deepening of the Port of Ft. Pierce.

 

                           

Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
       Division of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography
               4600 Rickenbacker Causeway
               Miami, Florida 33149-1098
                   (305)361-4057
                   FAX (305)361-4696