skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Florida's Rainy Summer Spreading Toxic Algae to Florida Waters

play audio
Play

Thursday, September 26, 2013   

ST. LUCIE, Fla. - This summer's unseasonably heavy summer rains are not just spurring the growth of toxic algae in Florida's coastal waters. A new report by the National Wildlife Federation and Resource Media found that at least two of the state's inland waters - the St. Lucie River and Lake Harris - have had public health advisories issued this summer because of algae. These outbreaks killed dozens of dolphins, manatees, birds and fish.

Manley Fuller, president of the Florida Wildlife Federation, warned that, beyond the impact on wildlife, the green slime can cost the state millions in greenbacks from lost tourism.

"If they encounter beach closures or they have public health notices, tourists are probably less likely to come back. That's money that's going to go someplace else," Fuller said.

Scientists attribute the algae to runoff from industrial agriculture and urban stormwater that is aggravated by warming waters caused by climate change. No federal agency tracks lake closures or health advisories. Fuller said that is one reason the problem has not gotten national attention - until now.

Currently, Congress is considering legislation that would fund Everglades restoration, which Fuller pointed out is necessary to help repair the damages. However, he said, reports like this emphasize the importance of regulations to prevent water pollution in the first place.

"We have to reduce our nutrient discharges into our waterways, and we have to better be able to store and treat water," he said.

The report recommended increasing demands that industrial agriculture employ ways to retain runoff nutrients on farms and adopt water pollution limits with regard to phosphorous and nitrogen discharge - two key ingredients of fertilizer.

The full report is available at http://www.toxicalgaenews.com.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021