The takeaway message:
A major policy decision by the U.S. Supreme Court has closed what some scientists call a loophole in the Clean Water Act. Meanwhile, two first-of-their-kind studies aim to provide much-needed baseline data for management and policy decisions affecting the Gulf of Mexico and Florida’s freshwater springs.
What’s going on?
In policy: The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of environmental groups in Maui. The groups sued the County of Maui’s wastewater reclamation facility for discharging pollutants into navigable waters without a required permit under the Clean Water Act. Although the facility pumps treated wastewater into the ground using wells, the environmental groups argue that the water eventually finds its way to the ocean and contributes to coral reef damage. In its final opinion, the Court cited scientific evidence tracing pollutants from the source to navigable waters.
In science: A decade after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, marine scientists have completed the first Gulf-wide survey of oil pollution. To do so, the team visited 359 locations and sampled 2,500 fish representing 91 species for levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Florida scientists have also conducted their first census of viruses and bacteria found in the Floridan Aquifer and the state’s freshwater springs.
Why it matters.
We may not always realize it, but environmental laws affect our lives daily even if they aren’t perfect. The Clean Water Act helps protect the integrity of the nation’s waters by regulating pollutants and setting wastewater standards. A University of South Florida researcher who was part of the group of scientific experts that filed a legal brief in the Maui case said the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling closes a loophole in the nearly 50-year-old legislation.
Longstanding environmental policies like the Clean Water Act often rely on sound data to help guide management decisions. The results from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill study showed rising PAH levels in economically important fish like grouper and yellowfin tuna. Predictably, fish found in the northern Gulf where the oil spill occurred had the highest concentration of PAHs. But Tampa emerged as another hotspot. As the area with the highest population density in Florida, this suggests that urban runoff from big cities must also play a role in PAH pollution.
To understand whether management decisions are scientifically working, baseline data is always needed. That’s why the Florida springs research team used microscopy and genetic techniques to survey the state’s freshwater for viruses, bacteria and other water quality parameters. These data represent important ecosystem health indicators and provide a standard understanding to help scientists study the health of the aquifer, which is one of the most productive in the world, according to the United States Geological Survey.
What can I do?
- Take these steps to protect the aquifer.
- Take these steps to protect coral reefs.
Learn more:
- About the Floridan Aquifer.
- About groundwater pollution.
- About the Clean Water Act.