Coastal water quality concerns — it is in our hands

Protecting our aquatic ecosystems, and ultimately ourselves, can start in our own backyards.”

Angela Ray

This is the last article in the series on coastal water quality concerns around Amelia Island. What is the overall health of our natural waterways? Who is responsible for ensuring that our waterways are healthy? And how can we improve the quality of our waters?

We have absolutely beautiful waterways around Amelia Island; it is one of the reasons locals are so proud of the area, why new residents move here, and why tourists love to visit. Our expansive marshes hold a feeling of untouched wilderness. The waters around Amelia serve as a great playground for so many. But looks can be deceiving; the bacteria, chemicals, and heavy metals in our waterways cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Through my research on the state of our waterways, I have learned that yes, we do have some water quality problems.

We are finding both E. coli and Enterococcus bacteria in Egans Creek, which has led to the waterway being designated as impaired by the state of Florida. In addition, the EPA website How’s My Waterway shows data that the Amelia River is impaired due to elevated levels of mercury; therefore, the consumption of seafood from that river should be done with caution.

These are not the only issues — pesticides and weed killers that flow directly into our waterways are major endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can harm both male and female reproductive systems in humans and in aquatic life. In addition, fertilizers flow off lawns directly into the marsh and cause oxygen-depleting algae blooms.

So, there is some room for improvement.

Who is responsible for protecting the quality of our waterways? I have spent some time looking at the EPA (federal), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the local government systems, and nonprofit entities like St. Marys Riverkeepers. These are all in place to protect us, but they are protecting us in many ways from ourselves.

Private citizens and private industries (employers) like the mills are the source of most contaminants entering our waterways. Let’s look at how we contribute to the problem. People support industry, for example, because they need the income, which is totally understandable. People buy into failing septic systems because that is what the property came with when they purchased it. People have pet waste that flows from yards and streets into our storm drains when it rains because they love animals. People apply pesticides and fertilizers to properties because a perfect lawn makes them happy. People spray glyphosate (RoundUp) to combat weeds because they don’t know any better.

Our priorities may be misplaced, or people are uneducated about the overall damage their individual actions cause. People cause these issues. The government and nonprofit entities can monitor by collecting data, provide funding to replace failing infrastructure, post warnings, and help educate the public. But to protect our local water quality, the residents on Amelia Island have to make the health of our waterways a priority.

We can choose to live in ways that do not hurt us or our environment. We can be good stewards, acting in sustainable ways so our grandchildren can play in these waters and consume the seafood without worry. Protecting our aquatic ecosystems, and ultimately ourselves, can start in our own backyards. How are you contributing to these problems? What is flowing directly from your property into the marshes?

Concerned citizens can pick up pet waste, never dump chemicals directly on their properties, stop spraying chemicals on their lawns, and replace or remove failing septic systems.

Governments can help by having stricter septic system protocols, replacing antiquated storm drain systems to better manage land run-off, and regulating local industry. Local governments have a responsibility to know the state of our waterways and to warn people when they may pose a health risk by posting warning signs, which should be happening now.

The city of Fernandina has done many positive things. The city provides a free drop-off day for hazardous waste annually, helping citizens safely discard harmful products. They include large trash pickup, which curbs the need for illegal dumping. The city partnered with the St. Marys Riverkeeper to restore the Escambia Street site when concerning water quality data was brought to their attention. And as mentioned in previous articles, the city helped restore many acres of marsh, which is crucial; nature can help us clean up our mess. But the marsh can only handle so much negative input, and with so many new housing developments, everyone’s actions matter.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. naturesreflectionfo@gmail.com