The city of Stuart has agreed to send a letter to the state asking officials to reconsider a recent decision regarding water quality standards and blue-green algae.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection periodically reviews water quality standards as conditions change and new contaminants are discovered. During its most recent review, the state declined to update standards for blue-green algae, according to Ruth Holmes, Stuart's environmental attorney.
"And the state of Florida, where we have increasing temperatures and the water's getting hotter and blue-green algae outbreaks are happening more frequently, they declined to adopt those standards. They didn't have to adopt them and they declined to do so," she said.
The state has indicated that chlorophyll A, a pigment associated with algae, can serve as an indicator of toxins in surface waters, including rivers and estuaries. Holmes said Stuart wants officials to reconsider whether that approach is sufficient.
"The state believes that chlorophyll A can be a sufficient indicator of the existence of toxins in the surface waters and in the river and estuary. What we're asking the EPA to do is take a second look at that and is that sufficient," she said.
Holmes said establishing water quality standards for toxins associated with blue-green algae could have implications for discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie River and estuary.
"If in fact the discharges, the disposal of Lake Okeechobee water for drainage into the river and estuary contains microcystin and cyanotoxins of which there's a water quality standard, you could have a violation of water quality standards by those discharges," she said. "There would be a very, very strong case that there should be no discharges if there's ever any indication of blue-green algae in the water."
Holmes said the city's letter could also establish a record of its position for any future legal or administrative challenges, regardless of whether officials respond.
"They're not required to give us a response, but it's all part of the administrative record so that going forward, the city is known to have stated its position on those activities. If there's ever a challenge in the future, they will always be there," she said.
Mayor Sean Reed suggested expanding the letter's recipients to include elected officials at the state and federal levels.
"I think it would benefit us more maybe if we're sending it to state elected officials and federal elected officials. They have more jurisdiction than we do at the city of Stewart because they oversee the EPA," he said.
Holmes said the city could consider that approach following further conversations.