Hearing for removal of Chiquita Lock begins
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation reported that the Chiquita Lock in Cape Coral helps send the city’s — often polluted — canal water through mangrove wetlands, instead of directly into the Caloosahatchee. This provides freshwater flow to mangroves, which naturally filter out nutrients and sediment, and in turn improves seagrass habitat and overall water quality.
Now, the city of Cape Coral wants to remove the lock entirely rather than fixing and updating it for improvements that would benefit both boaters and wildlife. The hearing that will decide the fate of the lock officially began on Nov. 29 and will run through Dec. 7.
In August, the SCCF and other nonprofits that had joined together to oppose the lock’s removal were pushed to withdraw as petitioners from the legal challenge, but they continue to support keeping the lock in place.
“SCCF opposes the removal of the lock and hopes the city can come up with a solution that can protect wildlife and water quality,” SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis said.
He noted improvements that could be made to the lock, like adding manatee exclusion devices and converting it to a high-speed two-way lock, which could cut down wait times for boaters.
WATER QUALITY SAMPLING NEAR LOCK
The SCCF reported that to document how water quality is being affected near the broken Chiquita Lock, its Marine Lab is conducting monthly sampling in the area to measure nitrogen and phosphorus, chlorophyll, and phytoplankton, among other water quality measures.
“Regardless of the decision to either remove the lock entirely, or to fix and upgrade the lock, the Marine Lab will have environmental data to reflect the effects that these decisions have on the environment,” SCCF Research and Policy Associate Leah Reidenbach said.