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LETTERS to ac EDITOR
<br />Barb -
<br />I wanted to share a story about what a
<br />small world we live in now. Your story
<br />about your Boston adventure was occur-
<br />ring at the same time that I was in the
<br />same part of the country. After I finished
<br />reading the article, I told my husband
<br />won't it have been a hoot to run into Rhett
<br />and Barb in Boston!
<br />My son, Mark Woolley, is the manager of
<br />the Best Western Hotel and Conference
<br />Center in Portsmouth, NH. He just recent-
<br />ly accepted that position so I had to check
<br />it out and I was favorably impressed.
<br />I had a delightful visit with my son and
<br />his family who live in Dover, NH. We, of
<br />course, also visited Boston. However, we
<br />did not get to Fenway Park as we usually
<br />do but I spent a hot afternoon at a com-
<br />munity park in Newton where the Boston
<br />Marathon bomber was captured. I was at
<br />that ball field because my grandson was in
<br />a competition where the baseball coaches
<br />from all of the Boston Universities were in
<br />attendance. Since my grandson hopes to
<br />get a baseball scholarship for college, this
<br />was a "must do" adventure since I had
<br />not seen my southpaw ever actually pitch
<br />a game. He was the youngest and small-
<br />est on the field but to my surprise he held
<br />his own. More to my surprise, I overheard
<br />the coaches talking and they all knew him
<br />by name. So the idea of his winning a
<br />sports scholarship does not now seem as
<br />far-fetched.
<br />I was also in New Hampshire for some end
<br />of the school year activities for both my
<br />grandson and my granddaughter. They
<br />both received high academic honors as
<br />their grandmother sat on hard bleachers
<br />sweating because it was much hotter in
<br />New England than it was in Florida.
<br />On another day in NH we went to Man-
<br />chester for an end of the season game
<br />for the baseball team that my son coach-
<br />es. Sitting with the parents of all these
<br />young athletes brought me back to the
<br />time when my son was the little kid on the
<br />field. All that I could think of is how did all
<br />those years go by so fast.
<br />Thanks for sharing a part of your New En-
<br />gland adventures with your readers.
<br />Pat Lavins
<br />Lagoon, continued from page 3
<br />Eutrophi...what?
<br />Eutrophication is the process by which a body ofwater ac-
<br />quires a high concentration of nutrients (Le. phosphates and
<br />nitrates). These typically promote excessive growth of algae.
<br />As algae die and decompose, high levels of organic matter and
<br />the decomposing organisms deplete the water of available
<br />oxygen, causing the death of other organisms, such as fish.
<br />EUTROPHICATION
<br />nrtrotinrfct,surfaca avatir.
<br />taysns foal algal Blooms g ,
<br />Courtesyy State of WA. Department ofEcolo�,
<br />6 Vero's Voice Issue 32
<br />STAYING INFORMED ON THE LAGOON
<br />"Thank you for bringing attention to the dilemma currently facing the
<br />Indian River Lagoon. I found myself almost feeling guilty of taking it for
<br />granted given the gargantuan efforts of Commissioner Davis and his
<br />team. I appreciate the opportu-
<br />nity to be more informed on the
<br />matter and hope that Vero's Voice
<br />will continue in that commend-
<br />able role. As Commissioner So-
<br />lari said in the article, "If people
<br />are informed, they'll make the
<br />right decisions. There's no need
<br />to micro -manage our residents."
<br />Fairly said. I'm one of those peo-
<br />ple. Just make sure I'm informed!
<br />By the way, the magazine is look-
<br />ing great. I'm really enjoying
<br />reading it cover to cover. It gets
<br />better with every issue!"
<br />Jayne McAllister
<br />We want to liearfrom you! Submit your Letter to the Editor to:
<br />• letters@verosvoice.com. verosvoice.com. Maximum length accepted is foo words.
<br />In 1979, when the City of Tampa organized local com-
<br />munities to aggressively remove nitrogen from the bay,
<br />Dr. Ryther's work had been released just a fewyears earlier
<br />(1971). The program ofAdvanced Wastewater Treatment
<br />through biological denitrification reduced ninety percent
<br />of the nitrogen from the water and turned Tampa Bay
<br />back into a thriving, safe ecosystem.
<br />II II I I I 11111 III III II I II III III I III III I II I III I III 11111 II III I I II III III III 1111
<br />Uh... hey, Mr. Pedantic?
<br />What is Biological Denitrification?
<br />Biological denitrification is used to treat
<br />nitrogen -contaminated groundwater. During
<br />the water -treatment process, food sources
<br />containing carbon such as glucose, starch,
<br />methane, methanol and mixtures like sugar
<br />brewery waste are injected in the water to
<br />stimulate denitrification. In the absence of
<br />oxygen, the nitrogen in the water is utilized
<br />by bacteria and in the process it changes to
<br />nitrogen gas, which simply escapes in the air.
<br />Yes, we're talking about poop again...
<br />bacterial poop.
<br />11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
<br />The Results:
<br />Tampa Bay gained 1,745 acres of seagrass between
<br />2010 and 2012 and now supports 34,642 acres of seagrass
<br />beds, the largest amount of seagrass measured since the
<br />1950's. The steady increase in seagrass since 2006 has
<br />brought the system closer to reaching the Tampa Bay
<br />Estuary Program's goal of 38,000 acres bay wide.
<br />This means the Tampa Bay EstuaryProgram is more
<br />successful and gained more yardage than the Tampa Bay
<br />Buccaneers.
<br />Senator Bill Nelson recently met with South Florida
<br />Water Management District officials at their headquarters
<br />in West Palm Beach to talk about the discharges. Earlier
<br />this summer, after an increased number of manatee
<br />deaths were reported, Nelson and Sen. Rob Portman (R-
<br />OH) introduced a bipartisan measure that aims to address
<br />the growing problem of algae blooms. In addition, Nelson
<br />said he has always been a strong supporter of Everglades
<br />restoration projects that would help alleviate the need to
<br />dump water from Lake Okeechobee into the Lagoon.
<br />Dr. Lapointe sees a tough road ahead, but there are
<br />solutions.
<br />"A plan similar to the Grizzle-Figg Bill needs to be
<br />applied to the IRL if people are serious about saving and
<br />restoring the Lagoon back to a healthy system," warns
<br />Lapointe. "It can't be just a few communities, it has to be
<br />an all-out effort. A comprehensive, broad policy needs to
<br />be implemented that includes Volusia, Brevard, Indian
<br />River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach Counties."
<br />At Vero's Voice, we applaud everyone's efforts to save the
<br />Lagoon, but Dr. Brian Lapointe and HBOI have been on
<br />the leading edge of diagnosing and prescribing the correct
<br />medicine needed. We're hoping those who make the im-
<br />portant decisions will cooperate with each other and help
<br />us all nurse our ailing Lagoon back to good health.
<br />Hundreds of manatees and dolphins, as well as count-
<br />less thousands of birds and fish will be rooting for us It
<br />can be done.
<br />
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