Residents, Experts and Contractor Spar Over Herbicide Use After El Cam Canal Fish Kill; Council Orders Workshop

Residents, environmental advocates and contractors pressed the Port St. Lucie City Council on waterway management and pesticide use after a fish‑kill event in the El Cam Waterway following a June 16 aquatic herbicide application.

At public comment and during a follow‑up presentation, residents described dead fish, respiratory symptoms and worries about long‑term human and wildlife health. Abrianna White, who said she lives on Fallon Drive on the El Cam Waterway, said chemicals can “cause blistering” and called for mechanical harvesting and other nonchemical alternatives. James Watt, who described decades of experience handling aquatic vegetation, told the council he has filed federal label violation complaints and urged lab testing of targeted plants and public notice consistent with state rules. Brian Call and other longtime residents said the treated plants included eelgrass and other valuable species that provide food for fish and shellfish.

Sharon Gillen Walters, president of Aquatic Vegetation Control (ABC), told the council ABC applied the chelated‑copper product Nautique on June 16 as part of a submerged treatment and that a fish‑mortality event was reported later that week. Walters said ABC did not perform a pre‑treatment dissolved‑oxygen (DO) reading before that application and “it was a big mistake,” adding the company has expanded its treatment protocol to require a comprehensive water‑quality assessment and higher‑level approvals before submerged herbicide treatments. Walters said ABC uses integrated pest‑management practices and supports nonchemical strategies where feasible.

Cole (Public Works) told the council that, based on staff review and information from the contractor, low DO appears the most likely proximate cause of the fish mortality, with multiple contributing factors including high temperatures, dense invasive plant biomass and decaying vegetation following treatment. Cole said ABC funded and, by reimbursement, restocked an estimated 4,000 fish (shellcracker, bluegill and bass) across three sections of the canal from Bayshore to the water‑control structure at Seahouse. He said dredging has not been scheduled; surveys and permitting must precede any dredge work and the city will determine the need after design cross‑sections and water‑control structure rehabilitation planning.

Residents and speakers repeatedly raised regulatory and notification questions. Jim Watt cited federal and state label obligations and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rule he said requires notice for applications in waters of special concern; Brian Call and others cited copper and diquat as toxic to aquatic invertebrates and seagrasses and urged testing for heavy metals and resurfacing of historic residues during dredging.

Council members pressed ABC on personnel discipline; Walters said the applicator was not terminated but was re‑educated and that the company implemented a submerged‑treatment initiation form that requires higher‑level approval and specified measurements before treatment. Public Works and the environmental services manager, Karen Love, described routine monthly coordination with ABC and a set of nonchemical tools the city has used or tested, including bioaugmentation (Biozyme), native plantings, targeted mechanical harvesting where feasible and fish stocking for algal control.

Council members raised contract‑management concerns: staff said the original contract with ABC dated to 02/2004, the most recent county/district contract was amended in 02/2024 and that the contract contains multiple addenda; the city manager and council noted 16 amendments. Councilmembers recommended going out to RFP before the next renewal and asked staff to bring a workshop on a holistic canal‑management strategy, including contract language, testing protocols and alternatives. The council gave staff direction to schedule a workshop and to return with a summary of statutory and permitting obligations cited by speakers.

What the council decided and next steps - ABC acknowledged failure to perform DO testing before the June 16 application, said it disciplined and re‑educated the applicator and adopted an expanded initiation form. - Public Works reported ABC funded the restocking of an estimated 4,000 fish across three canal sections (Bayshore to Seahouse) and that dredging remains contingent on design, survey cross‑sections and permitting. - Council directed staff to hold a workshop on canal management, including contract review and options for mechanical, biological and reduced‑chemical approaches.

The council did not adopt an ordinance or formal regulatory change at the meeting; instead it requested further study and a public workshop so the council and residents could review options and staff proposals. The council also asked staff to compile the record of the ABC contract revisions and to return with legal and operational clarifications cited by members of the public.