Friday, November 13, 2026
Residents gathered to learn more about Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) and the current efforts to restore the Tampa Bay Estuary.
This is a brand-new four-month-old seawall off Collier Blvd that already has stains.
Marco’s monthly Water Quality Sampling from 14 locations in 2019 shows that oxygen levels have dropped by 70%.
A chart comparing the Marco Sewage reuse nutrient concentration vs. FDEP nutrient limits allowed in canals using the City’s Water Quality Sampling over a five-year period for nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen level from reuse water was 25 times higher than what is allowed by FDEP, and phosphorus was 75 times higher than what is legally allowed by FDEP.
Right Club’s Board Members, Joe Granda (Treasurer), Maria Granda, Nanette Rivera (President), Angie Chirino (VP), Gayle Latreille (past President), and Eugene Wordehoff(Secretary.
Ed Sherwood, Executive Director and Senior Scientist of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, had this message: “Start now or pay more later” on residents’ efforts to save Marco’s canals.
Residents and members of the Right Club of South Collier County (RCSCC) gathered at the Marco Island Lutheran Church on September 18, 2025, to listen to Ed Sherwood, Executive Director of the globally recognized Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP), and their efforts to restore the Tampa Bay Estuary. Following citizen demands for action, as the first step in restoration, nutrients from the Tampa Bay Area Wastewater Treatment Plants were reduced by 70% between 1970 and 2020 by upgrading these facilities to Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT).
When asked if AWT would improve Marco’s water quality Sherwood said, “That is the direction the State is going with newly enacted legislations. These legislations are compelling municipalities to move into the direction of AWT and they have water quality resiliency grants available.”
Marco has 245 dead-end canals and Sherwood was asked if tidal flushing would help with these canals? He was concerned with the volume of stormwater pollutants into the canals along with the Marco wastewater plant, creating nutrient burden into the system. “Too many nutrients in the system is a symptom and you are not really treating the disease,” he added. “Those nutrients are going to build right back up.”
When asked if the City did everything today, how long before the canal benefits would be noticed and Sherwood said, “If you turned off the faucet today on a variety of different nutrient sources, you should see Dissolved Oxygen improvements/water quality improvements within three to five years. This is what Tampa Bay did in the 1980s when the wastewater plants transitioned to AWT.
Key takeaways from Sherwood’s presentation on Tampa Bay:
The Tampa Bay restoration started by converting the Tampa area sewage plants to Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT).
Dredging to improve water quality was not done in Tampa Bay - only navigational dredging. Because the source of the pollution is not reduced, dredging would have to be repeated again and again at a much higher cost.
It is cheaper and more effective to go to the source of the pollution and eliminate the nutrients there.
Start now or pay more later.
Having heard the macro from Ed Sherwood on the Tampa Bay Estuary restoration project, RCSCC’s Gene Wordehoff provided the micro and closer to home current efforts to save Marco’s canals.
Wordehoff explained that AWT is a process that goes beyond conventional secondary treatment to further purify wastewater, removing pollutants like nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) to a higher degree than standard methods.
He said that since 2019, oxygen levels in Marco’s canals have dropped by 70% and it is getting progressively worse, as indicated by a chart showing water quality sampling collected in 14 Marco locations. Wordehoff also shared a chart comparing the sewage reuse nutrient concentration vs. FDEP nutrient limits allowed in canals using the City’s Water Quality sampling over a five-year period for nitrogen and phosphorus. The Nitrogen level from reuse water was 25 times higher than what is allowed by FDEP, and phosphorus was 75 times higher than was is legally allowable.
According to Wordehoff, the City has retained Black & Veatch to conduct an evaluation of treatment alternatives to achieve AWT with a final report in six months. For the Scope of Services Black and Veatch shall be compensated for the total amount of $182,959.
How can you help? Sign a petition to Save our Canals for a language to be added to the Code of Ordinance by a vote of the City Council or by referendum of the voters in 2026! For more information on AWT and how you can make a difference, pls. visit: www.rcscc.us.
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