IRLNews:2021/01/23/Time to Rake the Leaves
Tens of millions have been spent to clear decomposing debris from Eau Gallie River, Turkey Creek, Crane Creek and Grand Canal alone. While effective at immediately improving water quality, muck dredging is a retroactive and repetitive band-aid that doesn't cure the cause.
Environmental leaders have made great strides with the installation of baffle boxes and stormwater traps that capture debris before it enters the water. These expensive devices use the latest technology available to effectively filter stormwater, but we can't possibly install them on every stormwater pipe draining into the IRL.
It is up to each individual property owner to reduce their impact on the lagoon. Let's all take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend to rake our leaves before they end up in the water. In February, IRL = I Rake Leaves.
All the leaves have fallen...
Now is the time for community leaders to run an awareness campaign aimed at keeping leaf debris out of the IRL. Let's use our resources to encourage waterway adjacent communities to mulch, compost, or bag their leaves for proper disposal. Maybe park a yard waste dumpster or two for IRL neighborhoods to use during the cleanup.
Now is also the time for our municipalities to sweep every street that sends stormwater to the lagoon. During the dry season our streets become covered with not only natural debris, but also automotive fluids, brake and tire dust, litter, microplastics, and pet excrement. Encourage your community leaders and public works departments to be proactive, and clean every street that drains to the lagoon, BEFORE the spring rains can wash the debris into the water.
Temporarily redirecting street sweepers to concentrate on lagoon adjacent communities won't cost much more than fuel. And it would prevent tons of muck-making debris from entering IRL tributaries and canals.
A savvy municipality might even publicize their "IRL Street Sweep" campaign to demonstrate how environmentally conscious they are.
