In December the EPA published guidelines that will change erosion and sediment control practices in the United States. For construction sites of 10 acres or more, stricter limits will be in place when it comes to the sites’ discharge.
Now a new regulation for Florida set in place by the EPA is getting much attention – both cheers and jeers. The EPA has decided to set numeric standards in Florida for nutrient pollution. This marks the first time the EPA has intervened to set a state’s water quality standards. Previously, Florida had a narrative standard for controlling nutrients, similar to the standard in most states for sediment from construction sites under NPDES Phase II. .
10 years ago, the EPA had told numerous states to set nutrient limits themselves. It is without doubt that Florida has a problem with nutrient pollution. Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection has been collecting data and working on a draft proposal for several years. But pressured by a lawsuit from environmental groups, saying the EPA has failed to enforce the Clean Water Act in Florida, the EPA has gone ahead and set the limits itself, using the Florida DEP’s data with a different methodology. The difference between the EPA setting limits and Florida’s DEP doing so is that the EPA’s limits are more stringent for some bodies of water than the state’s would have been.
Florida’s nutrient pollution is caused by phosphorus and nitrogen entering the waterways from agricultural areas, fertilized landscaping, urban stormwater runoff, and other sources. These pollutants lead to algae blooms thus reducing available oxygen. The green waters are harmful for aquatic life and can be to humans as well. Toxins from the algae and the chemical disinfectants used to remove them have been linked to a number of health problems. Florida’s DEP has reported that about 16% of river miles, 36% of lake acres, and 25% of estuaries are impaired by nutrients.
The implementation of this regulation will cost industries and governments more than a billion dollars to comply, but has made environmental protection agencies ecstatic.
“New water quality standards will help protect and restore inland waters that are a critical part of Florida’s history, culture and economic prosperity,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator in the EPA’s Office of Water, in a statement.
The standards are not yet final. The EPA has been accepting comments holding public hearings; it will establish its final standards for Florida’s lakes, rivers, and streams by October 2010, and those for estuarine and coastal waters by October 2011.