OUR WATERWAYS
By Steve Morrell
Boater Fights Anchoring Registration Requirement in Bradenton Beach, FL The Bradenton Beach Pier, looking east. In the foreground is the dinghy dock, and to the right of the pier is the anchorage, although no boats can be seen in this photo. East of the pier is the ICW. Photo by Steve Morrell.
John Avery, who cruises on his 34-foot catamaran, contested the registration requirements and fees that Bradenton Beach, located on Anna Maria Island at the south side of Tampa Bay, had imposed on all boats in the city’s anchorage. He won. The Bradenton Beach anchorage has been a favorite among cruisers and boaters for decades. It is located on the island’s eastern shore on the south side of the city’s pier, has good holding, a dinghy dock, is fairly well protected, is a few steps from the city’s active downtown and only a few blocks from the island’s beaches on the Gulf. The anchorage has also been used for many years as a storage area for boats. Many unattended derelict boats have been kept in the anchorage, some of which have periodically broken away, hitting the pier or other boats. There were also concerns about boaters dumping human waste from the boats into the waters. Some boaters, in hopes of safely disposing of their waste, put it in plastic bags and dumped them in city trash cans on shore—a practice that is illegal (and dangerous to waste handlers) if the waste is not placed in proper safe bags. These problems caused many in the city to be concerned about all the boats in the anchorage. Several years ago, the city decided to start the process of annexing the anchorage into the city limits so the area could be managed, solving these problems. The city also planned to install a mooring field. In 2006, after completing the required environmental studies and receiving approval from the county, the state granted the city the annexation and also allowed the city certain limited rights to police the waters outside of the anchorage out to the ICW’s right-of-way line. Along with the annexation, the city rebuilt the pier with hopes of establishing a managed mooring field with pier bathroom facilities (which are installed), a dinghy dock (which boaters are not allowed to use) and pump-out services. Unfortunately, because of financial considerations, the mooring field was never installed and the area has remained an anchorage as before, but this time with the city jurisdiction inside the city limits and the aforementioned policing powers outside it. In order to exert some control over the area, the city required boaters to register their boats with the city and pay a fee. One boater contested the registration and fee and filed a formal challenge, stating that the policy was in violation of state laws. In June, the city backed down and ended the registration requirement (and the fee). 30
August 2011
SOUTHWINDS
Sewage Spills and Beach Water Quality Several sewage spills into Florida waters, which all prompted swimming advisories, have raised concerns recently. Below are some of the reported spills in Florida this year and last. On average, the state receives two reports a day (spills less than 1000 gallons not included). In Manatee County, on the south side of Tampa Bay, the city of Bradenton spilled 3-million gallons of raw sewage into the Manatee River, which flows into Tampa Bay, and eventually, the Gulf. In March, 5.8 million gallons of raw sewage were spilled into a creek which feeds into the Hillsborough River in Tampa. Also in March, 1000 gallons of untreated sewage was dumped into Hudson Bayou, which lies just south of the City Island Park anchorage in downtown Sarasota. In May, an emergency near Port Manatee, on the south side of Tampa Bay, forced the release of 65-million gallons of water loaded with toxic metals and nitrogen into Tampa Bay from Port Manatee. In June of 2010, Miami-Dade County spilled 20-million gallons of raw sewage into Biscayne Bay, closing many of the area’s beaches. In May 2010, Charlotte County in southwest Florida spilled 10,000 gallons of raw sewage into the Fordham waterway, which passes by the Port Charlotte Beach Complex. In June, the National Resources Defense Council released its annual report on beach water quality, reporting that beach closings and advisories in 2010 in the United States increased by 29 percent over the previous year. 2010 was the second highest number of beach closings (24,091 days) in the 21 years that the NRDC has been tracking them. In the top 10 worst beaches list, the only southern beaches were Keaton Beach in Taylor County in Florida, and Ropes Park in Nueces County in Texas. In 1998, the federal government told all states that they had till 2004 to limit nutrient pollution in rivers, lakes and coastal areas, or the EPA would limit it. Florida did nothing by 2004. In 2008, Florida environmental groups sued, and in 2009, the EPA settled the lawsuit and said it would come up with a plan by 2010. In June, the EPA, in face of opposition, agreed to give Florida more time. Meanwhile, 43 cities and counties on Florida’s Gulf Coast, in view of inaction by the state or the EPA to limit nutrient runoff—and continued deterioration of water quality—enacted their own laws to control the problem. www.southwindsmagazine.com