[Coral-List] what agency should list corals

Griffin, Dale dgriffin at usgs.gov
Wed Apr 10 08:20:16 EDT 2013


OK Phil quit lobbing bait out there..........first let me say that getting
the Keys sewered is a huge step in the right direction.....now let me say
that it will not be enough to adequatly protect the environment if shallow
injection wells are utilized for disposal...John Paul and Joan Rose
demonstrated rapid movement of phage from these type systems to surface
waters in the Keys many years ago (and yes the treatment systems will kill
most microorganisms via disinfection but the point now goes back to the
nutrients/chemicals/pharmeceuticals etc.)........if you force light (fresh)
water into heavy (saline) water what happens to it..it tries to
surface..........I had heard and correct me if I'm wrong that the Keys
treatment was only secondary treatment(?) and would not remove the nitrate
load....some trivia here...the City of Tallahassee is spending ~180 million
for AWT to reduce the nitrate load of its treated wastewater......the City
disposes of its treated sewage via land application/irrigation....it was
shown to be negatively impacting the ecosystem of Wakulla Springs which was
over 10 miles away via subsurface transport......so shallow subsurface
injection of unscrubbed wastewater is not the optimal idea in a limestone
environment (see Genes limestone/toilet flush display/demo).......the big
mistake in the Keys was piping water all the way down to Key West without
installing return lines......coulda, woulda, shoulda


"Everybody is ignorant, just on different subjects"
                                           Will Rogers

Dale W. Griffin, Ph.D., MSPH
Environmental/Public Health Microbiologist
United States Geological Survey
600 4th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Office phone # - 727-803-8747, ext. 3075
USGS Tallahassee main office # - 727-803-8747
Fax # - 727-803-2031
Cell # 850-274-3566
email - dgriffin at usgs.gov


On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 2:10 PM, Billy Causey - NOAA Federal <
billy.causey at noaa.gov> wrote:

> Phil,
> The waste water in the vicinty of Key West, which services a large number
> of units from Big Coppitt to Key West, is injected into deep bore holes
> that go 3300 feet down and under a confining layer.  The AWT water that is
> injected is one step from being pure drinking water.  The remainder of the
> treatment plants in the Upper Keys down to the City of Marathon are on
> individual package plants that treat to AWT standards and the water is
> injected in 90' deep cased wells (cased to 60 feet).  All is required to be
> treated to AWT.
>
> I have cc'ed a few colleagues (Gus, George, and Bill) who can correct
> anything that I may have mis-stated.  Billy
>
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 1:39 PM, Phillip Dustan <phil.dustan at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> > Dear Billy,
> >  What is the level of treatment and where does all the treated wastewater
> > go now?
> >     Phil
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 9:33 AM, Billy Causey - NOAA Federal <
> > billy.causey at noaa.gov> wrote:
> >
> >> Dear Coral List,
> >> While we can't declare victory over eliminating waste water problems in
> >> the
> >> Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, as a member of the Sanctuary's
> >> Water Quality Protection Program's Water Quality Steering Committee, I
> can
> >> report that over 80% of the site disposal systems such as septic tanks
> and
> >> cess pits have been eliminated in the Florida Keys.  These waster water
> >> units are now on Centralized sewage systems up and down the Keys with
> >> advanced waste water treatment.  The remaining area unconnected is in
> the
> >> Lower Keys and the County, State and other officials are working hard to
> >> fund that next step of eliminating waste water.  Storm water run-off has
> >> been addressed along the way, but again ...more work remains.
> >>
> >> Some of our focus is shifting to  canal water problems, improving the
> >> water
> >> flows through our 124 miles plus of residential canals and eliminating
> the
> >> accumulation of floating seagrass leaves and other organic and inorganic
> >> debris in dead-end canals.  The County and Cities are taking this
> >> challenge
> >> very seriously.  The FKNMS Water Quality Steering Committee raised this
> >> next water quality challenge and has been focusing time, energy and
> funds
> >> to resolve the problems.  Monroe County and the State of Florida DEP
> have
> >> been leading the efforts.
> >>
> >> One of our greatest challenges continues to be an ever-increasing
> >> recreational boating community and the resulting damage to seagrasses
> and
> >> other benthic habitats.  Like water quality, this is a never-ending
> >> problem
> >> that has to be addressed.
> >>
> >> Just an update....  Billy Causey
> >>
> >> On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 2:14 PM, Arrecifes de coral
> >> <corales2006 at hotmail.com>wrote:
> >>
> >> > Dear Rudy,I certainly agree with you that Decision Makers should pay
> >> more
> >> > attention to untreated sewage or wastewater reaching coral reefs and
> >> > causing diseases, the Florida Keys is only one of the many cases.
> >> > Furthermore, it is also time to start to question why civilized people
> >> as
> >> > We all humans are still use potable water to flush our toilets while
> the
> >> > ecological, social and economic value of such relevant natural
> resource
> >> is
> >> > rising up and more people in the world are in need of such a valuable
> >> > scarce resource.Nohora Galvishttp://
> >> > www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocjiEG2eK3wFundacion ICRI Colombia in Pro of
> >> > Coral Reefshttp://
> >> icri-colombia.blogspot.com/http://icri-colombia.es.tl/
> >> > > Date: Sat, 6 Apr 2013 12:29:35 -0700
> >> > > From: rudy_bonn at yahoo.com
> >> > > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >> > > Subject: [Coral-List] what agency should list corals
> >> > >
> >> > > In response to Gene's post, which he is correct BTW, but we do know
> >> that
> >> > the disease that has nearly wiped out elkhorn coral in the Florida
> Keys
> >> and
> >> > the bacterium associated with the disease is the same bacterium found
> in
> >> > the human intestinal tract.  Serratia marcescens was determined to be
> >> the
> >> > source and a coral snail the vector, transmitting it from coral to
> >> coral.
> >> >  What are we going to do, dig up every septic tank in the keys?  Not
> >> > likely, see
> >> > > www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › Journal List › PLoS One › v.6(8); 2011
> >> > > we know this, is there anything being done?  when are all the keys
> >> going
> >> > to have advanced waste water treatment?  whats the problem, economics,
> >> > politics, is there a social science involvement?  Should homeowners
> care
> >> > enough to get their leaking septic systems repaired?  you tell me!
> >> > >
> >> > > Rudy S Bonn
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > Coral-List mailing list
> >> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Billy D. Causey, Ph.D.
> >> Regional Director
> >> Southeast Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Region
> >> NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
> >> 33 East Quay Road
> >> Key West, Florida 33040
> >>
> >> Office:  305 809 4670 (ex 234)
> >> Mobile: 305 395 0150
> >> Fax:     305 293 5011
> >> Email:  Billy.Causey at noaa.gov
> >>
> >> Will Our Grandchildren Remember Us For What We Conserved and Protected
> or
> >> For What We Let Slip Away?
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Coral-List mailing list
> >> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *"A hole is to dig"*
> >                             Ruth Krauss
> >
> > Phillip Dustan PhD
> > Department of Biology
> > College of Charleston, SC
> > Charleston SC  29424
> > 843-953-8086 office
> > 843-224-3321 (mobile)
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Billy D. Causey, Ph.D.
> Regional Director
> Southeast Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Region
> NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
> 33 East Quay Road
> Key West, Florida 33040
>
> Office:  305 809 4670 (ex 234)
> Mobile: 305 395 0150
> Fax:     305 293 5011
> Email:  Billy.Causey at noaa.gov
>
> Will Our Grandchildren Remember Us For What We Conserved and Protected or
> For What We Let Slip Away?
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list


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