Let’s Fix Marco Island’s Sick Waterways

Looking at the City’s Water Quality Sampling Report for the months of August, over four years, oxygen levels in Marco waterways have dropped by 65%.  No wonder the water is dark, having few fish and little seagrass for manatees to eat in many of our inland canals.   

In an April 2023 report, Collier County Pollution Control Department has recommended “converting existing wastewater plants to Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) technologies to reduce or eliminate phosphorus and nitrogen nutrients.” These nutrients deteriorate our waterways.

To help save our waterways, the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) must be upgraded to Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) to remove excess nutrients, nitrogen, and phosphorus (think fertilizer) from the sewage “reuse,” water sold for golf course irrigation and used to water our roadway medians. The City of Naples and Everglades City already have Advanced Waste Water Treatment (AWT).

At the end of the 12/4/23 Marco Island City Council meeting, City Staff stated that the upgrading of the WWTP is cost prohibitive due to the need to service the $102,679,504 (One Hundred Two Million Dollars +) utility debt now on the books. The debt service for fiscal year 2024 is $10,177,271. (Ten Million Dollars+).

Leadership is needed by the City Council to address the deterioration of our waterways.  Perhaps the first step is to increase the price of reuse water to bring the reuse water cost more in line with the damage reuse water is doing to Marco’s waterways.