Judge: EPA must write runoff rules for Florida

WaterTechOnline.com   11/17/2009 4:52:53 PM TALLAHASSEE, FL — A federal judge has approved a consent decree that allows the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set water pollution standards for the state of Florida, according to a November 16 Associated Press (AP) report. US District Judge Robert Hinkle approved a settlement between the EPA and environmental groups, rejecting challenges from state and local government agencies as well as agriculture and business interests. The environmental groups had filed a lawsuit in 2008, asking the federal government to intervene under the Clean Water Act. The groups argued the state wasn’t enforcing clean water laws and was allowing nutrients in farm and urban runoff into surface waters. The groups said the EPA had a duty to enforce Clean Water Act rules. Nutrient contamination of surface waters has been blamed for algae blooms in Florida’s inland and coastal waters. Toxic algae blooms also have been the reason some drinking water treatment plants have had to shut down, environmental lawyer David Guest told AP. The agreement, which may serve as a model for other states, won’t be final until Hinkle issues a written order, the AP reported.