Blind Pass in need of another dredging
CAPTIVA: The water that divides Sanibel and Captiva at Blind Pass is quickly filling with sand - again. And if something isn't done soon, experts we spoke to say the wildlife and the beautiful beaches will take a hit that could take decades to recover.
In less than a month, a sandbar formed in Blind Pass.
"Remarkably quick, the pass is filling with a giant finger of sand. - which is alarming," said Rene Miville, with the Captive Erosion District.
He said that just 18 months ago, he and other island property owners chipped in for a $2.5-million dredging project in exactly the same spot.
The results were expected to last five years. But now, he says, Blind Pass has never looked worse.
"What went wrong? I think the game plan needs to be more defined. There's no short term plan," said Miville.
Lee County's Division of Natural Resources says cold weather and wind are to blame. That combination is said to be stirring up large waves in the Gulf. And those waves carry sediment from the ocean floor inland to the channel.
Experts say the situation is spelling trouble for wildlife. Without a mix of fresh and salt water, fish, birds and mangroves can't survive.
The pass won't divide itself. And that means the state, the county and residents will have to come up with another $1-million and hope that this time, the sane won't come back.
NBC
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