By Virginia Chamlee
http://floridaindependent.com/59786/florida-water-coalition-slime-billboards
The Florida Water Coalition, a group that
recently filed a petition against the state’s recently drafted
water rules, has put up two billboards in an effort to “educate Floridians
and visitors about the state’s widespread algae pollution problem and to urge
citizens to let their government representatives know that they don’t want more
delays – they want clear limits on the amount of sewage, manure and fertilizer
pollution in our public waters.”
Both billboards contain a photograph of a large-scale algal
bloom in Fanning Springs, an area that was once clear all the way to its sandy
bottom. According to the Coalition, “development and large-scale agricultural
operations in the spring’s watershed have spewed pollution underground into the
aquifer, and it bubbles up in the spring, altering the water chemistry and
triggering nauseating toxic algae outbreaks.”
One billboard is loicated on
Interstate 75 between
The Florida Water Coalition — which is comprised of the
Florida Wildlife Federation, Earthjustice, the
Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, the Conservancy of Southwest
Florida and the St. Johns Riverkeeper — recently
filed a petition against the state’s “numeric nutrient criteria,” a set of
standards they argue aren’t strong enough to ward off nutrient pollution in
waterways.
The coalition has argued that the standards are so poor, in
fact, that they “would actually be less protective than no numeric nutrient
standards.” Many environmentalists have argued that the government dragged its
feet in producing the standards, and is now favoring the polluters over the
public.
“The toxic algae that comes from
sewage, manure and fertilizer runoff is a public health threat. It is poisoning our drinking water and making people sick,”
said Monica Reimer, an attorney with Earthjustice, in
a press release. “Among other things, it causes respiratory problems, stomach
problems, and rashes.”
Another problem, says Reimer, is that the pollution is
harming businesses across the state.
“We depend on tourists to run our economy,” Reimer said.
“Look at the reality on our billboards. This is obviously not good for
According to a press release, the funding for the billboards
came from grassroots activists. Though there are currently only two billboards
erected, the Coalition has hopes it can spread its message across the state as
the campaign expands.