The Federal Government’s E.P.A. has finally begun following several townships and a few counties here in FL to set limits on the amount of red tide causing pollution that can be dumped into lakes, rivers streams, etc. by Farms and businesses.

This is a huge boon because we all knew that the local townships and counties that were primarily farmland and thus the primary cause of the fertilizer in the watershed, weren’t going to do this. After all they’re run by the farmers that are putting this stuff in the water (not on purpose mind you), in the first place.

If these limits that the EPA limits puts into effect are properly researched and implemented, there should be a huge decrease in the amount of algal blooms in Florida. In as little as one year we could see Florida Red Tide levels fall to their historic, natural levels. That means we could go years or even decades between red tides and that when they do occur they will last days or weeks instead of years.

This is huge news for Florida Red Tide Solutions! It’s half of what we’ve been saying is needed all along. The important half. The other half is red tide bloom mitigation methods. Well if there is hardly ever a red tide, mitigation becomes much less important doesn’t it?

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Lacking leadership and legislation from the State of Florida, many townships cities and counties are making their own laws banning or partially banning the use of fertilizer. The latest legislation to be enacted is from Lee county.

Sounds like good news right?

Sure it is. However the fertilizers that the homeowners in coastal communities aren’t as much as their governments put into the water over fertilizing and over watering their medians, parks and the yards of thier public buildings.

Even worse are the farms up river. these farms put Tons per acre of fertilizers on their lands, not even Naples puts that much fertilizers on their medians (although . . .)
these counties where the farms are will never ban or limit fertilizers. however the fertilizers that wash off their lands pollute the communities down river of them. The entire southern half of Florida (except the developed portions) is a river. It’s called “The River of Grass”. It also happens to have a traditional river running through it, The Caloosahatchee river. It’s through these rivers that thousands of tons of fertilizer flows into the Gulf and Bays and feed the red tide.

The state is the only org that can do anything about this. But they are still trying to pretend there’s nothing unusual about our red tides . . .

Florida Citizens and visitors have been using the report red tide (thanks!) page to tell us about what they thought was a large red tide bloom along the east coast of Florida. Well Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute begs to differ.
Algae

They say it’s a less lethal “diatom” bloom. I’m not sure if they are purposely trying to confuse you or they are trying to be scientifically accurate. But it’s an algae bloom folks.

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Sometimes I regret not going with my instinct. When I first heard about a fish kill in the Myakka river, and realized that it was right after a moderate rain, my instinct said red tide or blue green algae was to blame. I pass by the Myakka river frequently in my travels and I had been noticing that it had a lot of regular algae in it.
All that is just guess work though and not science. Combine that with the incredible demands on my time lately, and I decided not to post anything.
Well it turned out I was right, but I still don’t regret posting my initial thoughts. I should have posted that it was a fish kill, and the conditions were appropriate for an algae bloom.

Next time.
links:
Miami Herald news story
TBO News Story
Google it

It looks like Lee County is not only learning how to prevent red tide, but is also learning that all they have to do is try and they’ll make a difference. They’ve recently enacted legislation which while poorly written and still not very effective, will make a difference.

Here’s some of the points the legislation covers:
The new ordinance stipulates that fertilizers containing nitrogen or phosphorus cannot be used during the four-month rainy season of June through September.
Fertilizer application is also prohibited within 10 feet of any body of water, seawall or wetland.
All spreaders must be equipped with a deflector shield to better target application and to prevent errant fertilizer from being spread into water buffer areas and hard impervious surfaces like roads, driveways and sidewalks.
Clippings and trimmings cannot be swept or blown into ditches, drains or any body of water, or onto any road or sidewalk.
Professional landscapers are required to register with the county and have at least one employee certified through a training program offered by the University of Florida Lee County Extension Service.

What’s the poorly written parts:
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