Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/136775
Sarasota News Leader June 14, 2013 While the dispute over who owns what is still winding its way through the courts, with several claimants stepping forward, Achim and Erika have already lost one round in their battle against the project. A Division of Administrative Hearings judge last month rejected their attempt to halt the dredge over concerns about water quality and the project's environmental impact. The judge found no reason to order compliance monitoring or sampling and wrote that the county is not obligated to improve the ditch water because the marina basin is already considered "impaired" because of high mercury levels in the fish there. Page 16 CONTESTED VIEWPOINTS George MacFarlane, Sarasota County operations manager for environmental utilities, says the goal of the dredge is to clear U.S. 41 of stormwater more quickly and to filter sediment out of the water before it hits the bay. By removing the plants, digging deeper, installing the sediment sumps and putting in material to keep the sand in place, the ditch will "slow down" the rush of water from Tamiami Trail, according to MacFarlane. He says that will allow sediment to settle, rather than be flushed out. Achim and Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt say the trash and vegetative matter has a noxious odor.