fill up the Grand Canyon too
Forgive my lack of knowledge here, but I’m not a tree-hugger. I don’t want to screw up the environment, but I’m not gonna lay down in front of bulldozers, either. With my limited knowledge, I may be way off base here. If so, feel free to set me straight.
Environmentalists get all up in arms (and rightly so) when natural resources are getting spoiled by industry/business/development. In theory, studies are done, blame is laid, fines are levied, and cleanup begins. Except for the part where there’s never enough money, it’s all good.
But what about when it’s nature kicking nature’s ass? Who gets fined then? Who pays for the cleanup? Why you and I, of course.
As Lake Panasoffkee grows older, it shrinks. It’s water is supplied by the Famous Florida Aquifer, which includes calcium carbonate picked up from the limestone. Once in the lake, the mineral hardens and settles to the bottom. It grows about an inch every 12 years, so over the last 3,000 years, it’s gotten 20 feet deep. And since the ‘40’s, 800 acres of lake are gone. From the Tribune’s Neil Johnson:
The solution is to dredge the sediment down to the original shell bottom… With… money from the water district, the Florida Legislature, federal sources and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, planning for the $25 million restoration project started in 1999.
The solution? But what’s the problem? The article doesn’t mention the problem or say is why this is necessary, but… Hold the phone! There it is, buried after the See page 4:
Lake Panasoffkee’s problem is not pollution… the work will give waterfront homeowners better access to the lake… “…you couldn’t see any shells. It’s absolutely necessary.”
Oh, it’s to see the shells. WTF? We’re just going to erase 3,000 years of Mother Nature’s hard work so private homeowners can have better access. And it’ll only cost $25M! Someone explain this to me.
Tags: tampa
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