STUART, Fla. — The waters of the winding South Fork of the St. Lucie River have the attention of those who visit Halpatiokee Regional Park.
“This is a scenic vista right here and it looks like chocolate milk,” said Jim Moir, executive director of the Indian Riverkeeper.
WATCH BELOW: Mysterious sediment clouds St. Lucie River
"The water quality just the coloration kind of speaks for itself right there,” added parkgoer Patrick Tilley. “It looks pretty disgusting.”
Tilley walks past the river when he plays disc golf and says he wouldn’t dare swim in it.
"It’s very upsetting to be locally and live here and to not even be able to necessarily access the local water around you and to question what’s coming out of it," he said.
Moir tested the river’s turbidity levels Thursday to evaluate the water's transparency. He found the water wasn't clear enough for sunlight to reach plants at the bottom.
"If you can’t have photosynthesis the plants won’t grow," Moir said. "If you can't have the aquatic vegetation then nothing else is going to be living."
He said the clarity is even worse than it is at the St. Lucie Lock and Dam, where Lake Okeechobee discharges have been flowing since December.
Protecting Paradise
'LIKE CHOCOLATE MILK': Here's why gallons of water is dumping in St. Lucie River
"This is not happening because of the management of Lake Okeechobee. This is happening because of the management of development in Martin County," Moir said.
He believes the sediment runoff is coming from a construction site south of the park, but we have not been able to confirm whether that's true.
WPTV spoke to the developer Friday morning, and they said they are not responsible for the water pollution.
We also contacted the South Florida Water Management District about the problem. The district said they "investigated the complaint and did not find evidence of any construction-related discharges from any properties with permits issued by the District into that area of the river. "
WPTV reporter Cassandra Garcia also contacted the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to find out if they're investigating. FDEP sent her the following statement Friday:
"DEP inspectors have been onsite evaluating nearby construction sites and permitted facilities. They confirmed that all sites were following best management practices and found no evidence of discharges. DEP will continue to monitor water quality conditions in the area. DEP appreciates all citizen reports of potential environmental concerns."
FDEP encourages the public to contact their appropriate DEP District Office or the State Watch Office at 1-800-320-0519 to report additional concerns and, if possible, provide photos or videos.
In the meantime, the community wonders if water clarity in Martin County will ever improve.
"It seems like the local norm at this point with all the development going around," said Tilley.
"To allow this to happen is not only shocking but very concernful, and it really concerns me that as we move away from these agencies capacity to regulate that it might get worse," said Moir.
