Because ERC has a conflict of interest does not in itself mean they acted inappropriately. However, on May 19th, ERC employee Joe Schuster told the airport authority that there was no sediment accumulation in Burnt Mill and Crooked Creek – that is a flat out lie and we have the documentation to prove it.

On May 18th, I went up Morell Branch (via Burnt Mill) to about 10 feet from the tree line. A log blocked further access. The water was about 1.5 feet deep. Lots of sedimentation was visible on the bottom and vegetation, same as a week after the rain. There was still a high level of turbidity. This was shortly after it was reported the contractor was discharging standing water from the runway.

You have to ask yourself – was ERC the only environmental consultant the AA could find for this job? With all the “whistle blowing” environmentalists watching this so closely, you would think the AA would want to avoid even an appearance of conflict of interest. It’s arrogance. They know no local media, or bloggers, are going to expose the uncomfortable facts.

People without a scientific background may not understand the gravity of the huge amount of mud in the aerial photos flowing down the creeks and into West Bay, but I am not sure why anyone cannot correlate DEP’s issuance of a consent order and imposition of nearly half a million dollar fine with significant damage. As lax as DEP is, we can assume even this large amount doesn’t begin to match the full impact of this event, nor especially any cleanup attempt.

Keep in mind that tidal action in the creeks dilutes the water. But it does not remove the stormwater sediment that settles on the bottom, smothering organisims.

“Mud” is not just wet dirt. Dirt contains sediment that causes turbidity in water. Lots of dirt/sediment causes high levels of turbidity. High levels of turbidity, like that photographed and confirmed with water testing, destroy habitat and food sources in the food chain of fish — no safe place to grow, no food — no fish. Further, continued or repeated high turbidity levels kill the creatures and vegetation that keep the water fresh enough to swim in.

There is post-runoff video of large amounts of destructive mud/sediment attached to vegetation where Kelly Branch enters into Crooked Creek and where Morell Branch enters Burnt Mill Creek (apparently unseen by the airport/St Joe consultant). Any legitimate scientist would acknowledge this was not a natural occurrence from a heavy rain storm, and that it, indeed, caused considerable damage to these resources, including unmeasured damage beyond that visible, and will continue to do so because of the topography of the airport site and the surrounding acres of water-saturated swamp land.

There are at least 23 photos on westbeaches.com that show a huge amount of mud/sediment throughout Crooked and Burnt Mill Creeks below the airport site. See the photo showing the plume of sediment at the mouth of Morell Branch as it enters Burnt Mill. DEP documentation/photos show that stormwater in the water bodies north of the airport site moved massive amounts of the fill dirt as it washed across the site, seeking its natural path toward the creeks through Morell and Kelly branches (you can’t fool Mother Nature, not even with 3 million cubic yards of fill dirt). DEP report: “The inspector walked approximately 50 yards into Morell Branch and the sediment was approximately two feet deep.” The contractor’s tests show this dirt caused high levels of turbidity in Morell Branch. The photo of the plume documents the sediment in Morell Branch running into Burnt Mill Creek.

Fishermen and property owners on Burnt Mill say that before airport construction began, they would see muddy runoff in the creek after a rain storm, but that it would be gone within a few hours. They also say the muddy water/turbidity has significantly increased since construction began.

You cannot live or fish on these creeks and not be saddened in your heart and soul by the damage, that will only get worse. These creeks will be putrefied decades before this area is developed to the point an airport of this size (larger than Tampa International) would be necessary.