Volume IV Issue III September 2009

Inside this issue:

GRN Report Card Makes Waves in Gulf States
Nearly forty years ago, Congress passed
the Clean Water Act in order to protect
Florida Report the health of our nation’s waterways and
2
Card ensure the safety of the communities and
individuals that rely on healthy waters. As
the loyal readers of Wave Maker’s News
Alabama Report are aware, a big part of GRN’s Healthy
3 Waters Program involves watchdogging
Card
Gulf States to make sure that they are
properly using and enforcing the Clean
Water Act. As the only organization
Mississippi
4 exclusively focused on the health of the
Report Card
Gulf of Mexico, GRN has been working to
prepare a report card that analyzes all five
Gulf States and how they have
Louisiana Report incorporated the Clean Water Act and
5
Card EPA guidance into their water quality
regulations. This month, we released the
report, titled Clean Up Your Act!, and, sadly,
Texas Report the Gulf States all scored poorly.
6
Card
Clean Up Your Act! assesses each state on
four categories that are critical for
Wasted Federal successfully protecting our fresh and
Dollars in 7
marine waters.
Mississippi
in all state waters. This pollution is linked to
Offshore Drilling in • Water quality standards algal blooms, fish kills, and the massive Dead
Florida and a • Human health protections Zone in the Gulf.
Victory for the
8
• Limits on nitrogen and phosphorous
Nature Coast
pollution Not only do we report weaknesses in state
• Encouraging and facilitating public policies, we propose recommendations to each
of the states to improve their regulations. In
participation in water quality policy
this issue of Wave Maker’s, you can read about
our recommendations in each state and take
These categories represent some of the action to protect you community and its waters.
most critical areas in which states need to Each states’ water quality standards form the
strengthen their policies to protect waters. foundation of clean water policy, and if our
The report points out problems in state states don’t have strong policies, our waters are
policies that fail to safeguard Gulf waters for
swimming and fishing. For example, no Gulf doomed to poor protection.
state has numeric standards that would The report can be found on GRN’s website at
reduce nitrogen and phosphorous pollution
healthygulf.org/reportcard.

Page 2 Wave Maker’s News

Greater Protections Needed to Ensure Florida’s Waters Safe

The beaches and waters of Florida are

renowned worldwide for the recreational
opportunities that they provide to tourist
and locals alike. In turn, water-based
tourism is a major driver of the state’s
economy. Unfortunately, while Florida
scored poorly in several areas, one
particular area of concern is the fact that it
does not protect all of Florida's waters to
be safe for swimming and wildlife.

Other areas of concern include a lack of

state-wide numeric limits on nitrogen and
phosphorous pollution that has impaired
many of the states waters and the need
for greater public participation in the
decision-making process.

The Florida Department of Environmental

Protection (DEP) has recently decided to
create a new system of categories that
determine how much pollution will be
allowed in each stream and lake. The
new, more complex categories will allow
for more variation in DEP's protection of
our waters. GRN is committed to making
sure that this new system leads to safer,
healthier waters for our communities, not
more pollution. So, if you are a Florida
resident, please send a note urging
Governor Crist to tell DEP to use its new
classification system to completely protect
the state’s waters for swimming, fishing,
and wildlife. We need cleaner, healthier
water- not water with downgraded
protection!

By convincing Governor Crist to send a

strong message to DEP, our united voice
can show how important healthy water is
to our communities.

Take action to protect Florida’s waters at

http://action.healthygulf.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27830
Volume IV Issue III Page 3

Nitrogen and Phosphorous Pollution Threaten Alabama’s Waters

Alabama’s Gulf coast and the
thousands of miles of rivers, lakes and
streams that feed into the Gulf are an
amazing natural resource. The state’s
waters provide residents with endless
hours of enjoyment and help drive the
local economy. Unfortunately,
Alabama scored poorly in several areas
which are crucial to protecting this
resource for future generations.

In order to improve, Alabama should

move to set Water Quality Standards
that protect all of its waters for human
contact and fish and wildlife, while also
improving public participation in the
process. In addition, one particular
area the state needs to improve is
protecting waters from nitrogen and
phosphorus pollution.

At this time, Alabama does not have

the policies in place to protect its
waters from nitrogen and phosphorous
pollution. This pollution, which often
comes from sewage treatment
facilities, septic tank failure, and
fertilizer runoff, leads to algal blooms
that can truly damage the health of our
waters. If you are an Alabama resident,
please tell the Alabama Department of
Environmental Management (ADEM) to
set limits on this pollution!

Several years ago, the United States

Environmental Protection Agency told
all the States to establish limits on
nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, yet
Alabama has not done so. Please join
us in telling ADEM to prioritize these
protections, and establish numeric
limits for nitrogen and phosphorus
pollution.

Take action to protect Alabama’s waters at

http://action.healthygulf.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27831
Page 4 Wave Maker’s News

Mississippi’s Most Beautiful Waters Lack Maximum Protections

The waters of Mississippi—including

amazing water bodies like the Mississippi
Sound and the Pascagoula River—are
among the nation’s most precious natural
resources. Generations of Mississippians
have enjoyed swimming, hunting and fishing
in and around the state’s waters but this
resource is threatened because the state of
Mississippi is not living up to it obligations
to keep state waters healthy.

Mississippi scored poorly in several areas.

However, one particular area stands
out. Mississippi has not designated any of
its most beautiful waters as "Outstanding
Natural Resource Waters", a category
designed by the Clean Water Act to offer
the maximum level of protection to a
stunning water body. Waters such as Black
Creek, parts of which are already
designated as a National Scenic River,
undoubtedly deserve and need this
protection. To ensure that these waters
bodies receive this designation, the
Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality must also create a process by
which citizens can nominate additional
Outstanding Waters.

The state could also do a better job of

uniformly monitoring the state’s fresh
waters for short term threats to human
health, regulating nitrogen and
phosphorous pollution, and utilizing
volunteer monitoring of water bodies in the
decision-making process.

If you are Mississippi resident, send a strong

message to Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality today. It is time to
protect the health of state waters in order to
ensure the health of our communities and
future generations.

Take action to protect Mississippi’s waters at

http://action.healthygulf.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27832
Volume IV Issue III Page 5

Greater Protection from Pathogens Needed in Louisiana Waters

Louisiana’s rivers, wetlands, lakes and
streams are among the most biodiverse
and productive water bodies in the nation.
It’s no mistake that Louisiana is known as
a “Sportsman’s Paradise” - the states
waters provide boundless recreational
opportunity along with much of the
seafood consumed in the United States.

Unfortunately, the state needs to do a

better job protecting its waters. Louisiana
needs to improve monitoring of biological
indicators in order to accurately judge the
health of state water. In addition,
Louisiana should take a leadership role in
limiting the nitrogen and phosphorous
pollution that contributes to the huge
Dead Zone off its Gulf coast every
summer.

Although there were several areas of

concern, one particular area the state
needs to improve is protecting waters
from disease-causing pathogens.

The bottom line is that the Louisiana

Department of Environmental Quality
(LDEQ) does not have adequate standards
to identify waters that could make us
sick. The current standards that
determine if water is safe for swimming
are only enforced for part of the
year. Further, waters must violate the
standards for 4 months before LDEQ
considers them polluted.

LDEQ is currently re-examining its water

protections, so, if you are a Louisiana
resident, now is the perfect time to send a
strong message that Louisiana needs
improved protection in their standards to
ensure that we don't get sick from
swimming in our lakes and streams.

Take action to protect Louisiana’s waters at

http://action.healthygulf.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27833
Page 6 Wave Maker’s News

Texas Must Protect its Waters from Nitrogen and Phosphorous Pollution
The Texas Gulf coast and all of its waters are
a beautiful treasure for the state and a big
part of the states’ economy. In the coastal
areas alone, tourism generates about $10
billion a year for the state and coastal fishing
generates another $4 billion. While Texas
does a better job incorporating the Clean
Water Act into state policies than the other
Gulf States in many categories, there are still
significant areas that need improvement.

Texas, like most other Gulf States, does not

have any waters designated “Outstanding
Natural Resource Waters,” denying them the
highest level of protection available. In
addition, the state is years behind in
completing a Triennial review, an important
venue for public participation, and the state
still does not provide many public documents
online for review.

One particular area the state needs to

improve is protecting waters from nitrogen
and phosphorus pollution. This pollution
comes from a variety of sources including
sewage treatment plants, failing septic
systems, and fertilizer run-off. It leads to algal
blooms that can truly damage the health of
our waters by causing Dead Zones, or areas
of water with so little oxygen that fish cannot
survive. Dead Zones have been observed off
the Texas coast, and some algae blooms can
be unsafe for human contact.

If you are a Texas resident, please take a

moment to tell the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEQ) that Texas
needs to do a better job protecting our
waters by putting policies in place that limit
nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.

Take action to protect Texas’s waters at

http://action.healthygulf.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27834
Volume IV Issue III Page 7

Wasted Opportunity in Mississippi

Image courtesy of Andrea Westmoreland

In 2007, the state of Mississippi was
granted over $600 million in federal
Hurricane Katrina relief funds to solve
sewage and water quality problems
exposed by the storm. While much of
this money will go to recovery
projects, the state wants to redirect a
portion of the taxpayer’s dollars to
subsidize private real estate
developments that threaten
Mississippi's streams, wildlife, and
wetlands. To make things worse, the
state has violated federal law by not
adequately analyzing the damage that
the badly planned developments will
have on the state's environment.

On Tuesday, September 8th, GRN

and the Tulane Environmental Law
Clinic sent a letter of intent to sue to
the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, the Mississippi
Development Authority, and the
Utility Authorities of Jackson,
Harrison, and Stone Counties for
violations of the National
Environmental Policy Act, known as Sandhill Cranes are one of the endangered species that could be negatively impacted.
NEPA.
and the Gulf of Mexico. Finally, there is a lost
Congress created NEPA to prevent wasteful opportunity in using limited hurricane recovery
spending by requiring the government to “look funds to subsidize private real estate development
before it leaps” meaning that direct, indirect and instead of helping communities in need.
cumulative impacts to the environment must be
studied before the project can move forward. Furthermore, the public has largely been kept out
MDA, HUD, and the Utility Authorities have of the decision making process which has greatly
attempted to shortcut this safeguard and, in the upset local Mississippians who will be impacted by
process, failed to develop the information these developments.
necessary to inform themselves and affected
members of the public of the significant, We hope that these agencies will show a good faith
unnecessary, and wasteful damage some of the effort to comply with federal laws and to help
projects will cause. The damage at issue includes motivate them we are reaching out to Secretary
destroying wetlands, fragmenting important wildlife Donovan, head of the U.S. Department of Housing
habitat corridors (including those that threatened and Urban Development. You can help too by
and endangered species depend on), increasing sending Sec. Donovan a letter asking him to make
pollutant loadings to the Pascagoula and Coastal sure that Katrina relief funds only go to Mississippi
Streams Basins and degrading the Mississippi Sound communities in need!

Send Secretary Donovan a letter:
http://action.healthygulf.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27861
 UNITED FOR A HEALTHY GULF
Offshore Drilling Threatens Florida’s Gulf Coast
Don’t look now, but the Florida Legislature and

Photo courtesy of newwavegurly.

a mysterious group of oil industry lobbyists and
consultants have decided that Florida needs oil
rigs in state waters (3-9 miles offshore).
Drilling off the coast of Florida poses a direct
and unacceptable risk to Florida’s beaches,
fisheries, coastal economies, and military
training facilities. The Gulf Restoration
New Orleans Office Network is completely opposed to any and all
338 Baronne St., Ste. 200 attempts to drill, and is actively working with
New Orleans, LA 70112 our coalition partners to stop big oil in their
Phone: 504-525-1528 tracks.
Florida Office
Offshore drilling is wrong for Florida in
34413 Orchid Parkway
numerous ways. By any criteria used to
Ridge Manor, FL 33523
measure its potential negative impact to our
Phone: 352-583-0870
coastlines, it fails to pass the test of acceptable risk or provide any benefit that would outweigh the
tremendous dangers posed to the economic engines that drive Florida.
Texas Office
PO Box 563
Liberty, TX 77575 Our economy in Florida is grounded in clean, healthy coastlines that are the backbone of our $65 billion
Phone: 713-906-3940 a year tourist economy. In the absence of a state income tax, revenue generated by tourism represents
a large section of our state budget. From recreational fishing to wildlife viewing, Florida’s natural
resources produce billions in economic activity and millions of people visit regional beaches and coastal
Email: Raleigh@healthygulf.org parks every year. Clean beaches, turquoise waters, and coastal recreation are essential to Florida’s
economic future. These resources and their use employ almost a million Floridians!

www.healthygulf.org
States make choices as to how to use and manage their coastlines. Florida has historically made the decision
to manage and protect our coastlines to maximize coastal tourism, and the recreational use of coastal
resources. Additionally, Florida has conserved and placed in public ownership large sections of the Gulf
Coast of Florida, particularly in the Nature Coast, and protected coastal marshes, seagrass beds, and
estuaries. These resources are critical to healthy commercial and recreational fisheries.

The routine pollution from offshore oil and gas drilling, the associated coastal infrastructure, and the potential
GRN Healthy Waters damage to both economic and environmental resources makes drilling unacceptable off the coast of Florida.
Program Staff Stay tuned for more information in future Wave Maker’s as this issue unfolds.

Florida:
Joe Murphy Victory for Florida’s Nature Coast
352-583-0870 or
joe@healthygulf.org As you may know from reading past editions of Wave Maker’s, Gulf Restoration Network, with our partners
the Gulf Coast Conservancy and Defenders of Wildlife, have been working to stop a mega-development,
Mississippi: called SunWest Harbourtowne, proposed for the southern Nature Coast,. Recently, we had a major victory
Casey DeMoss Roberts when the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) issued a report which raised significant and wide
ranging concerns and objections to the project! Florida DCA raised tough and troubling questions about
504-525-1528 x 205 or planning, land use, public safety, and habitat. While this fight is not over, we are glad that state growth
casey@healthygulf.org management officials agreed with us in terms of the negative impacts this project poses for the Nature Coast.

Raleigh Hoke The proposed SunWest Harbourtowne development is a perfect example of unsustainable coastal
504-525-1528 x 204 or development that threatens Florida’s environment and citizens. The proposed development will introduce
raleigh@healthygulf.org 2,500 homes, a 500 boat marina, hotel, conference center, and 18-hole golf course in rural, low lying, coastal
Pasco County. This extreme large scale development in the coastal high hazard area will significantly increase
Louisiana: the risk of hurricane damage, destroy natural habitats, and result in higher costs to local and state taxpayers.
Matt Rota
SunWest Harbourtowne and the associated 2.7 mile channel dredge will cause significant environmental harm
504-525-1528 x 206 or to the coastal ecosystem. These environmental impacts include destruction of vital coastal habitat, damage to
matt@healthygulf.org the regional recreational and commercial fisheries resulting from degradation of the coastal marsh and
estuaries, impacts to numerous terrestrial species, and severing access to core habitat for the imperiled
Texas: Chassahowitzka River population of the Florida black bear.
Ellis Pickett
713-906-3940 or SunWest Harbourtowne threatens Florida’s vital economic and environmental resources, and it is heartening
ellis@healthygulf.org that the Florida Department of Community Affairs agreed with the conservation and community groups who
have opposed this project from day one.