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Canal
study reveals the proof is in the pathogens
Several years ago, the Florida Keys representative of the Environmental
Protection Agency stood in front of a television news camera and said
viruses had been found in canals here. He went on to say he wouldn't
swim in local canals.
Around the same time, rigorous testing of our Keys beaches started
turning up elevated levels of enteric bacteria -- an indication of fecal
pollution which can come from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife, and
human sewage -- that resulted in the closing of some beaches.
News
spread across the national news wires that the Florida Keys were closing
beaches and struggling with poor nearshore water quality, which was not
the kind of publicity the folks at the Tourist Development Council were
hoping to generate.
Today, beach closings have become routine, and many people have opted to
view the canal waters from their patios.
Still, this week's news that 60 percent of sites tested by The Nature
Conservancy have viral contamination, while not surprising, certainly
underscores the continuing need to address this problem.
Identifying viral contamination is one of the strongest pieces of
scientific evidence that human pollution is fouling our once-pristine
waters.
While environmentalists, scientists and some government officials have
believed for years that the aging septic systems, cess pits and other
unidentified wastewater systems were polluting Keys waters, they have
been reluctant to definitively say so until it was proven by science.
"It
is important to have at least a year's worth of data to determine the
whole picture of water quality in the canals," said Brad Rosov, The
Nature Conservancy's marine conservation program manager.
They
are halfway there.
The
water tests, which found viral pathogens in canals in tests performed in
May and June -- a more rainy time of year -- but did not find the
viruses in January and March, reinforces the prevailing theory that our
sewage leaks into ground water and then is washed out to canals and
beaches when heavy rains fall.
Local governments are working toward improving nearshore water quality
by targeting aging wastewater systems and even looking ahead to
addressing the collection and proper disposal of stormwater.
Naysayers who have claimed the science isn't there should take note of
these latest test results, consider the consequences of wasting more
time debating proof of human contamination, and join in finding a
solution to clean up our waters.
Maybe then we can take a trip to the beach without wondering if a health
warning was recently posted, or take a dip in the canals in our
backyards.
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