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DEP Report
Island waters quality far below acceptable standard
The FDEP is finally publicly announcing its water quality findings that were submitted to the EPA
Gray are waters not attaining DEP standards (darker gray equals lower quality)
Posted
You can find a graphically simple map of the "Waters Not Meeting Standards" colored in shades of gray (the darker gray the more pollutants) here. Nassau County's waters are listed as not meeting standards. And particularly, Amelia Island is in the more dangerous position of being in the darker shades of gray, including the beaches.
Other Florida counties have already worked with the FDEP to put together Basin Cleanup Plans. To my knowledge, Nassau County has made no plans for clean up or improvement.
If any group, including the Northeast Regional Council, expects to put any type of working waterfront in Nassau County to promote local commercial seafood sales, I seriously doubt that any federal or state agency is going to approve the sale of seafood caught in our waters without severe consumption level limits (example: can only eat 1 oz. of shrimp per month, and ban consumption of local shrimp for pregnant or nursing women).
Consumption level limits are already in place in areas of Florida, set by the Florida Department of Health.
Is there ANY movement on the part of Nassau County to reach out to the FDEP to begin water quality improvement plans? (Grant monies are available.)
Other countries and other Florida beaches are working toward getting certified "Blue Flag" beaches. The international certification is an excellent marketing tool. Soon the water quality situation will kill the beach tourism industry on the island and Nassau County and City tax revenues.
It should also be noted that only some of the island's beaches continue to be tested by the Florida Department of Health (these are the only beaches that consistently have low to moderate bacteria counts). They STOP testing beaches when they test "POOR" for high bacterial counts (such as what happened at Jasmine last year, they stopped testing it). Florida does not want to show any unsafe beach water. (Simmons was also dropped).
At least getting someone from FDEP into Commission workshops to discuss the ways other counties have developed improvement plans could be a start. Or set up a Water Quality Blue Ribbon Commission to do the work.
Do something before we can't swim or fish in our waters at all.
