[Coral-List] No Harm Evident As Waste Dumping Continues In Gulf[Five barge trips haul 22 million with 178 million gallons still to go] (TampaTribune, 8/7/03)

Thu Aug 7 11:49:24 EDT 2003

"Mexico announces plan to begin systematic disposal of all industral waste
into the center of the Gulf of Mexico follow the successful lead of the
Florida Department Of Enironmental's Piney Point project.  Mexico justifys
the program citing International Press which stated such programs "Have No
Harm Evident as Waste Dumping Continues."  Cuba, Texas,  Louisanna and
Alabama are considering similar programs because it will save millions of
dollars of waste disposal and treatment.  The President of Mexico thanks the
Florida DEP for its excellent work in documenting no harm from pollution."

...Just kidding....but it is food for thought!

A note to the scientists involved.  You guys may have great reasons for
doing this and I have no problem doing things that must be done because the
alternative choices are worse...but hey....don't scream to the world that
what you are doing is such a great thing...just do your jobs and get the
work done.  All of you as scientists KNOW that there is no way in a complex
marine environment to prove that dumping pollution causes no harm.  In fact,
I am sure all of you, taken out of whatever politics put you into this,
would agree that some harm is probably taking place.  Just be aware that the
rest of the world is watching and may use your words against you.

Thanks,

Todd Barber
Chairman, Reef Ball Foundation, Inc.
President, Reef Ball Development Group, Ltd.
6916 22nd Street West
Bradenton, FL 34207
941-752-0169 (Office)
941-752-1033 (Fax)
941-752-0338 (Personal)
941-720-7549 (Cell when traveling)

reefball at reefball.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Precht, Bill" <Bprecht at pbsj.com>
To: "coral-list" <coral-list at aoml.noaa.gov>
Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2003 11:11 AM
Subject: [Coral-List] No Harm Evident As Waste Dumping Continues In
Gulf[Five barge trips haul 22 million with 178 million gallons still to go]
(TampaTribune, 8/7/03)

>
> And another
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> No Harm Evident As Waste Dumping Continues In Gulf
>
>    By STEVEN ISBITTS, sisbitts at tampatrib.com
>
>    Tampa Tribune
>    http://www.tampatrib.com
>
> http://tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGAQ4H4B2JD.html
>
> CLEARWATER - On Thursday, a state official said there is no evidence that
> treated phosphate wastewater dispersed into the Gulf of Mexico has caused
> fish kills or elevated red tide levels recently found off Florida's west
> coast.
> ``All of our monitoring data, water testing and satellite interpretation
> does not provide any implications that there is potential for ecological
> harm from the wastewater in the Gulf,'' said Charles Kovach, a biologist
> from the Department of Environmental Protection.
>
> Kovach is overseeing the state's monitoring of the wastewater, which comes
> from the defunct Piney Point phosphate plant in Palmetto.
>
> The DEP is executing a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency permit to
> remove highly toxic untreated wastewater from storage ponds at Piney
> Point, treat it and dump it into the Gulf.
>
> During the past year, above-average rainfall at Piney Point has put the
> ponds in danger of overflowing into Bishop's Harbor and subsequently
> contaminating Tampa Bay estuaries.
>
> In July, the DEP began pumping treated wastewater into a barge that has
> been traveling to the Gulf to spray the water in an area 120 to 140 miles
> offshore.
>
>
> 200 Million Gallons In Pipeline
>
> The barge has made five trips and dispersed about 22 million gallons of
> treated wastewater, DEP spokeswoman Deena Wells said.
>
> Dozens of additional barge trips are planned before the EPA permit expires
> Nov. 30. The DEP hopes to disperse 200 million gallons into the Gulf,
> Wells said.
>
> For months, fishermen and environmentalists have been concerned that high
> nitrogen and ammonia levels in the wastewater could cause red tide, an
> algae that can kill fish and cause respiratory ailments in humans.
>
>
> Phosphate Didn't Turn The Tide
>
> Since the dumping began, the Florida Marine Research Institute in St.
> Petersburg has recorded low to medium red tide levels from Collier County
> to Dunedin.
>
> The red tide likely has led to dead fish washing up on Pinellas County and
> Sarasota County beaches during past few weeks, said Beverly Roberts, an
> algal bloom expert with the Florida Marine Research Institute.
>
> The entire 4 1/2-mile shoreline of St. Pete Beach was littered with dead
> fish for most of Wednesday, leading to the first major beach cleanup of
> the year, said Scott Graubard, the city's public works director.
>
> Graubard said crews cleaned throughout the day, but there were no beach
> closings. He said he expects the cleanup to continue today.
>
> Three miles north at Madeira Beach, few dead fish were seen Wednesday,
> Madeira Beach City Manager Jim Madden said.
>
> Two weeks ago, Madeira Beach was affected by a fish kill that marine
> biologists also attributed to red tide.
>
> But the red tide bloom has been present since before the wastewater
> dumping, Roberts said.
>
> Wednesday, the DEP released the first interpretation of satellite tracking
> of the wastewater.
>
> The report comes from the University of South Florida's College of Marine
> Science, which is being paid $93,000 by the DEP to study satellite images
> daily until the permit expires.
>
> USF scientists Chuanmin Hu and Gabe Vargo agreed with Kovach's statements
> about the treated wastewater's effects on the Gulf.
>
> Hu said his lab will issue a weekly interpretation of satellite data,
> which can be accessed in the Piney Point section of the DEP's official Web
> site, www.floridadep.org .
>
>
> Reporter Steven Isbitts can be reached at (727) 799-7413.
>
> http://tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGAQ4H4B2JD.html
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
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