A carwash on the Mast Canal during Hurricane Ian — The making of a Perfect Storm
To the editor:
I wrote my first draft of this letter while I watched Hurricane Ian come in. We were under a mandatory evacuation order; that means the car wash property on the Mast Canal was within the evacuation order area. I have stated in several of my writings that I am very concerned about what would happen to a car wash built on coral, on top of a canal that flows to the Caloosahatchee River, during a hurricane. So here we are during a hurricane and I still have this question.
I know a few more things since this whole thing started, such as: the Canalwatch coordinator for the City of Cape Coral will not be testing the water next to the car wash. They test San Carlos lake down the canal. Of course that is a lot of damage by the time they pick it up in the basin. If there is pollution they deal with it on a case-by-case basis, but of course the damage is done. And they rely on someone complaining. This is their approach for noise and light pollution as well.
“If there is a suspected illicit discharge to the City’s stormwater infrastructure, including the Mast Canal, Cape Coral Code Compliance can be contacted for enforcement. While we have had local business, construction companies, and even residents behaving unethically by using storm drains for dumping of materials that are considered pollution, those instances are administered on a case by case basis, and largely center on what was dumped and what are the lasting consequences. Whether those actions result in education / warning, fines, or loss of business license, again is determined by the extent of the offense.” Harry Phillips, Canalwatch Coordinator, Environmental Resources Section
The City is not taking any responsibility, leaving this matter to us. We would like to see the carwash denied by the USACOE because that is the most effective way to make sure there is no pollution — saving the canal wildlife, the waterway and our community. At minimum, a hurricane mitigation plan should be required and someone other than the business should be required to monitor to ensure compliance. We are skeptical that the City has the acumen to do that; they trust the wolf to guard the hen house. I have been saying the word stupid a lot lately.
The storm has passed and we were lucky. Storm surge, fresh water flooding from the weir at Kamal Parkway and Veteran’s Boulevard, and the wind raised the water level 10-12′ above mean tide, another few inches and the neighborhood on all sides would have flooded. It was no longer a canal but a lake. When the lineman came 11 days later they said the water table was 6″ down. The ground was saturated for weeks after the storm.
We have all seen the power of water. Had the carwash been there, its wells and dirty water containers would have been swamped. We could have had a toxic chemical spill and environmental disaster. The chemicals could have gone everywhere: our fresh water supply, storm drains, flooded homes, lawns, canals — all the way to the Caloosahatchee River. The Mayor, Council, City Manager, City Attorney and Director of Development would have been personally responsible for the impacts.They are all aware of the problem and choose to take no action.
Nancy Cavanaugh,
on behalf of The Mast Canal Preservation Group