Floridians will no longer be left in the dark about major pollution issues after Gov. Rick Scott issued an emergency rule Monday requiring the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to notify the public of pollution incidents.
“It does not make sense that the public is not immediately notified when pollution incidents occur and that is why I am directing DEP to immediately issue an emergency rule implementing strict requirements for public notification within 24 hours,” Scott said. “Today, I am demanding any business, county or city government responsible for a pollution incident to immediately tell the public. That is common sense and our residents deserve that.
Pollution and spillage have made headlines in Florida in recent weeks. In New Wales, contaminated wastewater from a fertilizer plant leaked into one of the state’s main underground sources for drinking water after a large sinkhole opened up beneath a pond.
The Mosaic company said there was a leakage of nearly 215 million gallons of “slightly radioactive water.” The aquifer is one of the major sources of drinking water in the state.
Pollution issues have also dogged Pinellas County, where millions of gallons of sewage spilled into the Boca Ciega Bay and the Tampa Bay due to heavy rainfall from Hurricane Hermine earlier this month.
The City of St. Petersburg dumped 128 million gallons of wastewater during Hurricane Hermine and other parts of Pinellas County also dumped wastewater into the Tampa Bay.
On top of the emergency notification system, Scott also said he’d propose legislation during the next legislative session to make sure the public is kept informed of incidents of pollution that may cause a threat to public health and to state water and air resources.
The proposal would amend current law which only requires public notification when pollution moves off-site of where the incident took place and threatens public health. The legislation would also increase the fine amounts and penalties on any violators.
“When we find laws, rules and regulations that aren’t common sense, it is incumbent on us to immediately make changes like we are doing today,” Scott said.
The governor said he was working with the DEP to investigate the spillage and work on a solution to ensure local drinking water is safe for consumption. Scott promised to hold any responsible parties accountable should any violations be found.
The new emergency rule will require the owner or operator of any facility, including a city or county government, to provide notification of incidents of pollution within 24-hours to DEP, local governments and the general public through the media.
The new rule will last for 90 days.
“It is extremely important that Floridians are quickly notified of incidents of pollution that could potentially affect public health and the environment, and this emergency rule will give DEP the authority needed to ensure the public is kept informed when these instances occur,” Secretary Jon Steverson said.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
