This past month, a member of our Destinites Facebook group for locals (www.Facebook.com/groups/Destinites) posted the following:
Member Post:
“There is so much of this fuel (?) covering the harbor today. Won’t this be harmful to dolphins and other marine life?”
Here are some responses the member received:
- Terrible. I don’t remember seeing that back when we had charter boats. That was so long ago—haha, 25 years.
- There are more than 200 boat rentals on the harbor now. There’s one floating tiki or pontoon for every two visitors during the season, lol!
- There are too many docks permitted in the harbor. That is why the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) partnered with the City of Destin to conduct a comprehensive Destin Harbor Carrying Capacity Study. Released in early 2023, the study confirmed that vessel traffic and social capacities had officially been exceeded inside Destin Harbor, Crab Island, and the East Pass.
- As long as there’s a permit, it doesn’t hurt wildlife. I learned that during the great Fourth of July fireworks debate.
- It occurs accidentally when you overfill your fuel tank and when you have fuel or hydraulic fluid leaking into the bilge. Bilge pumps turn on to pump out any water that naturally finds its way into the vessel’s bilge compartment. They also activate if the vessel starts taking on water in an emergency. Oil sheens like this one are, unfortunately, very common on the water. It comes with owning and operating a motor vessel. Just be thankful you’ve never experienced an older boat that leaks oil or fuel like a sieve! Newer vessels are a lot better for the environment in terms of leaking oil and gas. However, I applaud you for keeping an eye on our waterways.
- And that was before the new docks were built on Noriega Point. Those docks should be removed now.
If you live in Destin or the surrounding area, I invite you to join our private, targeted Facebook group for locals and property owners at Facebook.com/groups/Destinites. Established in October 2018, the group currently has more than 13,000 members. Check out our Local Business Directory at www.Destinites.com, where more than 500 local businesses are listed and receive advertising exposure within our targeted community group.
