Florida mulls new standards on water toxins

A governor-appointed panel next week will consider new criteria that some fear will let polluters dump too much toxic chemicals into rivers and lakes used for drinking water, including benzene — a cancer-causing petroleum byproduct used in hydraulic fracking and pervasive in tobacco smoke.

On Tuesday, the Environmental Regulation Commission is expected to vote on new water quality standards for more than 100 toxic chemicals during its regular meeting in Tallahassee. If approved, the new criteria would then go to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval.

"Yeah, we want more chloroform in our fish, in our drinking water," said Linda Young, executive director of the nonprofit Clean Water Network. "Yeah, we want more dry cleaning fluid in our food and fish."

Solving disinfection byproducts led to unintended consequences

Clean water advocates say the rule would weaken state water quality criteria for some 120 human health-based toxic chemicals, significantly increasing how much cancer-causing chemicals industry can dump in Florida rivers, lakes and estuaries. But the Florida Department of Environmental Protection insists it is not lowering standards but uses more robust risk models and more Florida-specific data than the EPA. 

"DEP and EPA are strengthening Florida's water quality standards, not weakening them," the state agency asserts on its web site. "Moving forward with the proposed criteria is critical to better protect Floridians’ health because the criteria nearly doubles the number of chemicals that the department will be able to regulate."

The proposed rule sets "stringent and protective criteria for 39 chemicals that currently have no limits," DEP says. "In addition, this rule includes updates for 43 chemicals whose standards are more than 20 years old."

DEP's criteria would be stricter than EPA's guidelines for cyanide, beryllium and several other chemicals in drinking water supplies. But most of the proposed state criteria would be weaker than EPA's guidelines, Young said.

Algae not toxic in beachside canal; red tide in South Florida

Conservation groups worry the state will allow levels higher than EPA guidelines for compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), once widely used in plastics, caulking, transformers, capacitors and other electrical equipment. Production of  PCBs was banned in 1979, and EPA calls them "probable human carcinogens." Childhood exposure to PCBs has been linked with reduced IQ and impaired growth and motor skills.

One compound on the list that would see stricter criteria is a common chlorinated solvent called trichloroethylene, or "trike." The compound and its breakdown products  are known to cause birth defects and cancer.

DEP is considering tightening its criteria from 2.7 to 1.3 parts per billion for "trike" in waters classified as sources of drinking water, and from 80.7 to 15 parts per million for waters classified for swimming and other recreation.

Pulp and paper mills are the primary source of most of the two dozen carcinogens on the state's list, Young says.

"To me, going backwards and making our water quality and human health protection weaker, that jumps out as really, really bad policy," Young said.

US auditors find problems at Canaveral National Seashore

Florida’s current standards were last updated in 1992. Under the federal Clean Water Act, states must periodically review standards and make changes as needed.

Last year, EPA issued recommendations for standards based on more recent science.

DEP’s proposed criteria take into account "how, and how much, Floridians eat seafood, drink, shower and swim," the agency says. They set the limits necessary to protect against health effects.

The proposed criteria account for the most at-risk populations, the agency asserts, including young children, pregnant women and those whose diets of mostly seafood. 

Since 2012, DEP has held about a dozen public workshops about the rule throughout the state.

Take precautions to prevent deadly bacteria infection

But Young worries the public's voice hasn't been represented, because two of the seven seats are vacant on the Environmental Regulation Commission. One of the empty seats is designated to represent local governments and the other seat represents the environmental community. "Those are the two people that would probably have the most people that they represent," Young said. 

The other ERC seats represent agriculture, development, a science and  technical representative, and two seats are laypersons.

Nan Gault, of Davie, Florida, wants the new criteria delayed. She worries about more pollutants in her water, should fracking for natural gas ever happen near her home.

"It's being railroaded through, but we don't know what to do," Gault said.

Contact Waymer at 321-242-3663 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com Follow him on Twitter@JWayEnviro and at facebook.com/jim.waymer

Environmental Regulation Commission meeting to consider new health-based state criteria for water toxins

When: 

•  9 a.m. Tuesday, July 26;

Where:  

• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Building, Conference Rooms A & B, 3900 Commonwealth Boulevard, Tallahassee, FL

EPA's human health criteria 2015 guideline: epa.gov/wqc/human-health-water-quality-criteria