Riverkeeper calls St. Johns River a 'toxic mess' after Irma

Hurricane Irma is taking a toll on the St. Johns River.

Between the debris and pollution, the St. Johns Riverkeeper called it a “toxic mess.”

Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman said the flooding led to significant sewage spills. “Our calculation shows there's about 1,000,000 gallons of raw sewage that seeped into the St. Johns,” Rinaman said.

That’s down from the 11,000,000 that overflowed into the St. Johns River during Hurricane Matthew last year.

JEA said Irma was a much bigger event, but their system performed better this year because of some of the storm hardening investments they made after Matthew.

Still, Rinaman said it’s best to stay out of the water until the threat is clear.

“There's lots of bacteria and right now's not a good time to get out in our waterways,” Rinaman said.

She said to be very cautious especially in creeks because they are smaller and had more of an impact.
Water quality tests are being conducted and will continue until all tests come back clear.

Rinaman said there was also a massive amount of marine debris in the river because of Irma.

“A lot of docks have been lost and all those boards all of that has to go somewhere so a lot of it is still in the waterways," Rinaman said.

She said it will take time for the St. Johns River to get back to normal.

The river is so flat it’s a lazy river, so it doesn't flush itself as well,” Rinaman said. “So, the pollution can stick around for a long time as well as the debris.”

Cox Media Group