The City of Cape Coral was just days away from beginning to remove the Ceitus Boat Lift out of the northwest spreader system. But Tuesday, Lee County Commissioners voted unanimously to keep it.

City officials say leaving the boat lift in the water in its current condition is a detriment to the environment. But opponents say removing the lift means that polluted water from northwest Cape canals would flow right into the clean waters of Matlacha Pass.

"Here you've got 31 years worth of pollution stored up in this system and you want to just unleash it into Matlacha Pass? That's not lawful," said environmental activist Phil Buchanon.

But city leaders and officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection say large breaches already allow canal water to flow into the Gulf.

"You'll see a gap that's nearly 30 feet wide and seven feet deep and it's really not stopping anything," said Eli Fleishauer of the DEP.

"I think you can very clearly see that the system is open right now," said geologist David Scott.

And he says the lift diverts the flow of water through acres of mangroves and is rapidly eroding them.

"What we have right now is the worst of all worlds. This thing is creating an imbalance in the tide level and the normal level of the canal system here," said Scott.

Fleishauer says the lift is no longer functioning as a storm water barrier and delaying its removal could also damage an additional six acres of mangroves.

"We're trying to support the environment and it's neither the city nor the county that we're really behind here. That structure is currently doing more damage that it is good," said Fleishauer.

Other environmentalists suggest just repairing the breach on the lift. Supporters of removing it are still hopeful commissioners will come around.