More problems associated with our waste and pollution. This is a direct connection from our biosolids disposal to toxic algae, with toxins far above the danger mark. Concerns for health issues caused by microsystins are increasing.
We should also be concerned for our neighborhood, as biosolids have been deposited near the Santa Fe River for years.
We are such slow learners where money is involved.
Read this article here in Florida Trend.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
-A river is like a life: once taken, it cannot be brought back-
Biosolids: Waste to fertilizer to – pollution?
Blue Cypress Lake contains microcystin levels thousands of times above the amount considered hazardous to humans.
Five years ago, a ranch bordering Blue Cypress Lake began using treated waste from municipal sewage plants as a cheap source of fertilizer. Known formally as biosolids and less formally as sludge, the material has been treated to control or kill pathogens and avoid attracting insects, rodents and birds. But it also contains lots of phosphorous, which, when washed into rivers and lakes, fuels the growth of algae.
Toxic blue-green algae have begun blooming in Blue Cypress Lake. Tests conducted this year by the Ocean Research & Conservation Association of Fort Pierce found that the lake’s algae contained the toxin microcystin at a rate of 4,700 parts per billion, says Edie Widder, ORCA’s founder, CEO and senior scientist. For context: The World Health Organization says recreational waters with microcystin levels above 10 parts per billion are hazardous to human health.
“So often, we have so many potential sources of pollution. But there really aren’t any out there (at Blue Cypress Lake), except the biosolids,” Widder says. “It’s such a clear-cut case because there’s nothing else out there. And since 2013, when they started spreading biosludge out there, they’ve spread more than 22,000 dry tons. Which is a staggering amount.”
Also in this article: Ocean Research & Conservation Association; Pressley Ranch; Edie Widder; George O’Connor.
