Get the basics on algal blooms from the St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon, one of the people who led the fight in Florida to get the EPA to set limits for the nutrient pollution that triggers harmful algae blooms. From Waterkeeper Magazine's Winter 2010 Edition: For years algae blooms have plagued Florida's beaches, lakes, rivers, and springs, threatening public health and closing swimming areas. But there is renewed hope that the tide may have finally turned against the “Green Monster.” As the result of a lawsuit filed more than a year ago by St. Johns Riverkeeper, the Florida Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club and several other Florida environmental groups, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed for the first time to set quantifiable limits for the nutrient pollution that triggers harmful algae blooms in the St. Johns River and other Florida waters.Nutrient pollution, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, enter rivers, lakes and coastal waters from fertilizer runoff, farms, septic tanks and utility and industrial wastewater discharge. These pollution sources can nourish algae blooms that blanket the surface of waterways, causing harm to plants and animals and even humans. Exposure to toxins emitted by the algae can cause rashes, skin and eye irritation, allergic reactions, and even serious illness.The public interest law firm Earthjustice filed the suit on behalf of the groups. The suit challenged an unacceptable decade-long delay by the state and federal governments in setting limits for nutrient pollution. EPA’s agreement to set enforceable, quantifiable nutrient limits settles that lawsuit. The agreement action has nationwide implications. Currently, Florida and most other states have only vague limits regulating nutrient pollution. The EPA will now begin the process of imposing quantifiable—and enforceable—water quality standards to tackle nitrogen and phosphorous.Under the settlement, the EPA has until January 2010 to propose the new pollution limits for Florida's lakes, rivers and creeks, and until October 2010 to finalize the rules.“The EPA's ruling couldn’t have come at a better time for the St. Johns,” says St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon. “This past summer, nutrient pollution once again caused the appearance of the "Green Monster" and has made the river potentially unsafe for residents and wildlife. This ruling paves the way for meaningful river restoration.”Environmentalists hope the agreement will move the EPA to set similar standards in other states.View the press conference held along the banks of the St. Johns River announcing the agreement.
Get the basics on algal blooms from the St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon, one of the people who led the fight in Florida to get the EPA to set limits for the nutrient pollution that triggers harmful algae blooms.
For years algae blooms have plagued Florida's beaches, lakes, rivers, and springs, threatening public health and closing swimming areas. But there is renewed hope that the tide may have finally turned against the “Green Monster.” As the result of a lawsuit filed more than a year ago by St. Johns Riverkeeper, the Florida Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club and several other Florida environmental groups, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed for the first time to set quantifiable limits for the nutrient pollution that triggers harmful algae blooms in the St. Johns River and other Florida waters.Nutrient pollution, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, enter rivers, lakes and coastal waters from fertilizer runoff, farms, septic tanks and utility and industrial wastewater discharge. These pollution sources can nourish algae blooms that blanket the surface of waterways, causing harm to plants and animals and even humans. Exposure to toxins emitted by the algae can cause rashes, skin and eye irritation, allergic reactions, and even serious illness.The public interest law firm Earthjustice filed the suit on behalf of the groups. The suit challenged an unacceptable decade-long delay by the state and federal governments in setting limits for nutrient pollution. EPA’s agreement to set enforceable, quantifiable nutrient limits settles that lawsuit. The agreement action has nationwide implications. Currently, Florida and most other states have only vague limits regulating nutrient pollution. The EPA will now begin the process of imposing quantifiable—and enforceable—water quality standards to tackle nitrogen and phosphorous.Under the settlement, the EPA has until January 2010 to propose the new pollution limits for Florida's lakes, rivers and creeks, and until October 2010 to finalize the rules.“The EPA's ruling couldn’t have come at a better time for the St. Johns,” says St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon. “This past summer, nutrient pollution once again caused the appearance of the "Green Monster" and has made the river potentially unsafe for residents and wildlife. This ruling paves the way for meaningful river restoration.”Environmentalists hope the agreement will move the EPA to set similar standards in other states.
Definition: Algal Blooms are symptoms of a polluted river. Algae thrive in water with high nitrogen and phosphorous levels, which can be caused by stormwater runoff, fertilizer and manure runoff from agricultural areas, and wastewater. Algae can block light in the water, causing aquatic vegetation to die back, inhibiting fish and other aquatic organisms from catching prey, and pollute drinking water. Some algal blooms are toxic and can cause shellfish grounds to be closed. If algal blooms and nutrient pollution go unchecked, it can contribute to eutrophication, which is essentially the filling in and death of a waterbody. Read the Waterkeeper Magazine
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