FL Keys - "Operation Liveaboard"

[markpj23]

Saw this in a BWS newsletter...

FWC gears up for Operation Liveaboard

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and its marine law enforcement partners -- the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Coast Guard and Monroe County Sheriff's Office – are gearing up for Operation Liveaboard. The operation will focus on areas with high densities of vessels with people living aboard them in the Florida Keys.

From Key Largo to Key West, officers will check these vessels' occupants for compliance with Coast Guard-required safety equipment, state registration requirements, nighttime anchor lighting and marine toilet specifications.

"This operation is important on two fronts," said FWC Lt. Liz Riesz.

"First, from an environmental standpoint, enforcement during this operation will help keep the water clean and the reefs healthy. This benefits people recreating on or in the water and all marine life. Secondly, this operation proactively addresses boating safety. We want to make sure live-aboard boat occupants are running the proper lights. This will help prevent boating accidents."

The three-day operation will take place in late February.

FWC Press Release:
http://myfwc.com/whatsnew/09/south/N...Liveaboard.htm

[gonesail]

i forecast a lot of big fines for boaters in the keys

[Fishspearit]

Just one more good reason to go to the Bahamas instead of the keys.

[skipmac]

Well very interesting. If administered fairly and logically (has any government program ever been handled logically asked the cynic) I think this would not be a bad thing. I certainly support a clean environment and healthy reefs. I can confirm from personal experience that since I first dove in the Keys in 1971 the state of the coral has deteriorated dramatically.

However my understanding is that the contribution of pollutants of all kinds from boating is a fraction of what is dumped into the environment. I think the state of FL would see a LOT more bang for the buck if they tried to reduce the huge nutrient and pesticide runoff from big sugar producers in the Everglades and suburban lawns in Miami. Then there are sediments and petroleum products that wash off the streets every time it rains. Not saying boating should not be clean and green but I think we are a relatively small part of the problem taking a big part of the blame.

[starfish62]

Full-time cruisers are not a problem. Deep well and offshore sewage injection put more crap (literally) in the water in one hour than all of the cruisers combined in a year. And where does the well wastewater go?

These investigators, led by Drs. John H. Paul and Joan B. Rose, used harmless bacterial viruses as a tracer for the movement of wastewater from a recently permitted class V disposal well in the Middle Keys.
This well meets current DEP requirements, which means that the well was drilled to 90 feet and cased with PCV pipe to 60 feet. Within 8 hours of addition of the tracer, it was detected in the groundwater, and within 36 hours it was detected in Florida Bay.
By 53 hours, the tracer appeared in a canal on the other side of US1, on its way to Hawk Channel and the Atlantic Ocean."

Excerpted from:
= Reef Relief = Wastewater from Injection Wells in Florida Keys Found in Surface Marine Waters =

Mods, I think this is okay as it's a non-profit org.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by starfish62

Full-time cruisers are not a problem. Deep well and offshore sewage injection put more crap (literally) in the water in one hour than all of the cruisers combined in a year.

you got that right .. boaters aren't the problem .. they are just easy targets.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by gonesail

you got that right .. boaters aren't the problem .. they are just easy targets.

BINGO!!!
That's why I always cringe a little when we are asked to support more laws regarding boating. I understand enviromental impact, so no lectures please. But more laws and attention heaped upon boaters easily shifts the blame away from the real culprits.

[GordMay]

Expect company, liveaboards:
Expect company, liveaboards

[skipmac]

Forgot about the sewage and deep well issues in S FL. A few years ago friends from Ft Lauderdale that did a lot of diving in the area told me about big pipes off the coast that dumped semi-treated sewage directly into the ocean. They did not recommend diving in the area.

Deep well injection in FL especially is a terrible idea since the state is sitting on a huge limestone plateau which is as porous as Swiss cheese and, like the data from Starfish shows, waste pumped down a hole in one spot can easily show up miles away within days depending on the underground topography, flow direction and rate.

Dye traces in N FL springs have shown that water from sink holes that were thought to be isolated from the aquifer often showed up in springs miles away within days.

Quote from results of one of the dye trace tests done in N FL. This one at Ichetucknee Springs.

[Good Neighbors: Ichetucknee Springs State Park

"The study involved releasing a dye in Rose Sink, a large, sinkhole located six miles northeast of the Ichetucknee head spring. Eight days later, the dye showed up not only in six of the seven springs within the Park, but also in the toilets and drinking water of nearby residents. It was scientific proof that foreign substances introduced into Rose Sink, either through illegal dumping or stormwater runoff, would end up in the water flowing from the spring. In response, the State purchased Rose Sink to protect it from further abuses."

[starfish62]

Originally Posted by Tellie

BINGO!!!
That's why I always cringe a little when we are asked to support more laws regarding boating. I understand enviromental impact, so no lectures please. But more laws and attention heaped upon boaters easily shifts the blame away from the real culprits.

It's kind of like when Pablo Escobar would let the DEA grab 50 kilos of coke. The three metric tons were safely delivered, but the DEA could pose with the 100 pounds and make a public posture.

Similarly, the FWC & local police can have an article hit the paper with the buzzwards "untreated human waste," or "raw sewage," and make it appear that they're doing something forthright and performing a public service at the same time they are generating a lot of revenue for themselves with tickets.

[Captain Bill]

I've only had my boat in the keys once, and I was impressed (perhaps erronously) that they had pump out boats that would visit the anchorage and pump your holding tank for a reasonable fee. I liked the idea of doing my part to protect the reefs. After reading the article quoted by Starfish62 I now wonder what they do with the stuff that they pump out of the boat. If they simply pump it down one of the 700 disposal wells then a pumpout is technically no different than pumping it directly overboard. Does anyone know if they treat it first?

[starfish62]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

I've only had my boat in the keys once, and I was impressed (perhaps erronously) that they had pump out boats that would visit the anchorage and pump your holding tank for a reasonable fee. I liked the idea of doing my part to protect the reefs. After reading the article quoted by Starfish62 I now wonder what they do with the stuff that they pump out of the boat. If they simply pump it down one of the 700 disposal wells then a pumpout is technically no different than pumping it directly overboard. Does anyone know if they treat it first?

Now THAT is a very good question! I have no idea, by the way.

[Chief Engineer]

But But..."it's fo da chilren"

[shadow]

I agree, they are totally focused on the wrong people. But, as stated, cruisers are just easier targets. If you want to do a true "carbon footprint" of a true cruiser against the same amount of people sharing a household, I think the numbers would be absolutely shocking.

Also, why aren't they focused on targeting their own governments or military as I know that they have and probably still do, dump ton's of barrels of nerve gas, chemicals, etc.. overboard on their ships. As well as the industries all throughout the gulf that just plain dump their waste and pay for the fine since it is still a fraction of what it would cost to dispose of it properly.

I can go on but I am sure that most people here already know this. It is annoying how cruisers are more and more harassed every year with moronic laws being approved by idiots behind a desk that hate being outside let alone being on water.

By the time I am able to get my own yacht, I can only do it via my computer game in a virtual world on google sea.

end of rant... LOL

[David M]

Its easier for government agencies to go after citizens than to go after each other. Doing this justifies their paychecks.

Wasn't this type of behavior the impetus for the American Revolution?