Jess Maillez, Senior Environmental Manager, Sea & Shoreline reports the following (and we at Save Crystal River couldn't be happier!)
"I wanted to give everyone a quick update on the progress of both vacuuming and grass growth!
Our dredge crew is currently working in area 5B, which is behind Pete's Pier. They have completed just over 30k square feet of that area. It is taking a bit more time to de-muck this area than originally thought. The crew has been removing anywhere from 4-7ft of material. We noticed this week as we work our way out of the back corner (east end) that material is getting a bit lighter and things should speed up a bit!
The bio team completed another round of post hurricane monitoring this week, we are still putting the data together. What I can tell you is that there is a lot more grass this month than previous. We are finally starting to SEE these plants expand along the bottom. It's been happening all along, but those little guys are actually popping up out of the ground everywhere!
Hunter Springs (Area 5A) Is doing very well. The grass inside many cages is nearly reaching the top, and flowers are beginning to extend to the water's surface. The plants outside of the cages are growing and expanding, but are still very short, as we all know there's an increased presence of herbivores right now!
I've attached a few photos of what things look like as of this week (along with a grass munching turtle in the pilot project area). Have a great weekend!"
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