‘Mud bars’ hinder access to Caloosahatchee for boaters

Stuck in the mud and looking for help.

Residents who live on canals off the Caloosahatchee River in Olga say water released from Lake Okeechobee caused “mud bars” to form and block their access to the river.

But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it isn’t responsible for clearing the mud.

“If something isn’t done, then it’s going to close the canal in completely,” Olga resident Bob Vasold said.

Fellow Olga resident Bob Johnson reached out to the Corps for help. They responded with an email saying in part that, “The federal government is in no obligation to maintain access to the river or waterway from adjacent canals.”

The Corps, which oversees the release of lake water from the Herbert Hoover dike that surrounds it, told WINK News it’s only responsible for the maintenance of navigation channels.

“It’s as a result of their water release that this mud bar has formed,” Johnson said. “And so it seems to me they or someone ought to take care of it.”

Like Johnson, Vasold just wants the problem solved.

“Somebody needs to do something,” Vasold said. “We didn’t put it there.”