By Wayne Mills
October 12, 2016
TC Palm
The state seal of Florida
If things weren’t bad enough with sea level rise flooding South Florida on high tides and especially full moons, the Zika virus, toxic algal blooms on the east and west coasts of Florida, saltwater incursion in wells 3 miles inland, fish kills, algal blooms along the 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon — now we have what the media is reporting may be the biggest sinkhole in Florida’s history.
A major phosphate company near Tampa, Mosaic, developed a leak in its storage pond, with a 45-foot-wide hole in the bottomdraining an estimated 215 million gallons of toxic and radioactive waste into the aquifer. The hole could be as deep as 750 feet and, if so, it would readily contaminate the Florida aquifer serving millions of Floridians. Oh, and Mosaic didn’t think to notify the public or the state when it occurred.
Sounds reminiscent of Flint, Michigan.
For the first time in decades, people are trying to leave rather than move into South Florida. Tourism and recreational activities are being affected because of the Zika virus, polluted waterways and now the threat of bad drinking water. Reoccurring fish kills are showing up in Stuart and Jensen Beach in the southern reaches on the Indian River Lagoon and in the Banana River and in the Northern Lagoon.
This year, yet again, the dangerous blue green algae showed up, which not only can kill fish and the animals that eat those fish, but also make people sick when exposed to its vapor or come into physical contact with it.
On Florida’s west coast, what has become an annual dangerous condition brought on by red tide has shown up again on the usually pristine beaches of Siesta Key and Lido Beach. These toxic blooms can kill a wide spectrum of sea life and it can make humans sick when exposed to it.
We now learn the blue green algae in the waters of the St. Lucie River this year contained a toxin known as BMAA, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s, ALS and Parkinson’s disease. Who is researching this chemical and biological contamination in our waterways to see what it’s doing to our marine life? Should we be putting out alerts not to eat the fish?
It’s clear our local and state health departments need to be on alert to these dangers and advise the public accordingly. Let’s not be another Flint or Mosiac crisis by waiting until the public is exposed to these dangerous conditions before they are notified of it.
It’s clear that Florida needs to be proactive in attacking these dangers before marine life and humans become exposed to these conditions. In addition, it is time Florida develops aggressive action plans to eliminate the pollution sources impacting the environment and now the people of Florida.
* * * * * *
Wayne Mills, of North Hutchinson Island, is former chairman of the board of trustees of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation
To continue reading the column, please click on the following link:
http://www.tcpalm.com/story/opinion/contributors/2016/10/12/guest-column-confluence-crises-florida/91937320/