Phosphorus For Us

Sick of algae-polluted water, Florida groups sue EPA

Posted at 1:55 PM on 18 Jul 2008

A flock of Florida green groups has sued the U.S. EPA, seeking state and national water-pollution standards for fertilizer runoff from factory farms. Nitrogen and phosphorus flow from agricultural operations into many Florida waterways (among other places), triggering algae blooms which suck oxygen from the water and kill off marine life. Exposure to the algae, which contaminates many drinking-water sources and popular swimming holes, can lead to a wide range of health ailments in humans. Both Florida and the EPA have let deadlines pass for setting specific limits for fertilizer runoff; the EPA recently said it would propose numerical standards by 2011, but litigants say that's not good enough. "Each time an extension is granted," says Manley Fuller of the Florida Wildlife Federation, "it essentially guarantees these contaminants will continue to flow into our rivers, lakes, and oceans -- endangering our wildlife and threatening our economy."

sources: Environment News Service, Associated Press, The News-Press

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Comments: (3 comments)

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Setting Standards

Government agencies that take so long to set standards are acting as nothing but lackeys for the industries that they're supposed to be regulating. There's no excuse or reason for not setting a strict standard immediately when a problem becomes known. Natural bodies of water should be given priority, not farmers and their chemicals.

by Wolverine at 3:02 PM on 18 Jul 2008

Algae 4 U

Here's an idea, how about we harvest the algae to create biofuels and other alternative products? The problem is so pervasive we need to use all means to improve Florida's water quality while the regulators sort this out.

The irony is that we spend billions of dollars creating stormwater retention ponds to trap polluted water from getting into the watershed. This money could have been used to prevent the problem in the first place and we wouldn't be left with the toxic waste holes created by this patchwork system.

by blutown at 9:50 AM on 19 Jul 2008

Wolverine, I couldn't agree more

And many at EPA would agree with you as well. The problem is the Administration, which has hamstrung EPA's enforcement capabilities while expanding EPA's regulatory branches. We will see big changes in a year or two. If not, I say we set up a guillotine and get the revolution started.

Il faut cultiver notre jardin.

by John former Marine at 10:03 AM on 19 Jul 2008

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