Sunken boats and the smell of fuel fill Laishley Park Marina after Milton

The refreshing smell of the sea at Laishley Park Marina has been replaced by the thick stench of fuel.

“There’s fuel all over the water,” said Michael, who lives on a boat in Punta Gorda. “There’s septic from leaking, from sunken boats. It’s bad.”

And the sunken boats are just as hard to take in as the awful stench.

“Yesterday was my first time going out and seeing everything with my own two eyes, rather than in a picture,” said William Barton, a boat captain. “And it’s, it’s just sad, you know, to think about what has gone on in our bay.”

So William Barton gave WINK News a call.

“If it was possible, you know, then I think I’d have a whole bunch of concerned people right here with me that would just go out there and clean it up ourselves,” Barton explained. “But it’s something that needs to be done by a professional.”

WINK News Reporter Amy Galo visited the marina to check it out. She spoke with the dockmaster, Gary Pyszka, who said the City of Punta Gorda has already deployed absorbent booms to contain the spill.

Pyszka also shared that the city is contacting boat owners and trying to get sunken or damaged boats removed as quickly as possible.

Florida Gulf Coast University professor Puspa Adhikari also provided some insight into the situation, explaining nature will also do its part to get rid of the spilled fuel.

“If it is just one or two boats, I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but it will typically evaporate after a few hours or so with the sunlight,” said Adhikari. “The bright sunlight that we have, as well as suitable temperature and wind in Southwest Florida.”

Of course, it does also depend on how big the spill is.

If it is a bigger scale, continuously spilling, it’s a bad thing,” said Adhikari. “But if it was one-time event, a small amount, and especially a gasoline, it’ll go away by itself.”

While WINK was unable to get a close look at the source of the spill itself, the dockmaster said it came from the sunken boats and was not a lot.

“If they remove the boats quickly, or if they are exposed to the air, it will evaporate and decompose into another form,” explained Adhikari.

Regardless of the size, Adhikari said any fuel spill will impact our environment: “Any fuel spill, either if it is gasoline or diesel, it can cause a widespread impact to the organisms living around, like aquatic life.”

Adhikari also warned fuel spills can affect our own health.

He said wearing a protective mask while boating in fuel-spill conditions is never a bad idea, and you should also avoid swimming or coming in direct contact with any sort of spill.

All of these reasons are why preventing spills in the first place is key, and that includes moving your boat off the water if another hurricane strikes.