Why isn't there more discussion here about water quality issues................

gettinwet

..............especially considering that fish and wildlife in general are water dependent............not to mention as are we.

Because of the wolves guarding the sheep look what has already happened to Lake Apopka, Lake Okeechobee, the Kissimmee River, St. Johns River, the Everglades.................

This state is basically a sponge so what do you think is happening to the groundwater.

Currently, all the grass beds in the Indian River/Mosquito Lagoon from Scottsmoor to Sebastian are dead and/or dying. And what do you think is going to happen to bird/inshore fish populations once the estuaries collapse?

Why would any company be allowed to directly dump untreated waste into any body of water?? Why are companies being allowed to draw billions of gallons of groundwater while restrictions are placed on residential water usage?

The growth above all policies of the past 30 years in this state - particularly at the local level - have resulted in these real world results proving such policies are short sighted and ignore important long term factors like environmental impacts. And just because "we" didn't know at the time doesn't make it less true.

It all just pisses me off........so many lawyers, developers, and "businessmen"...........most with no vested interest in this state except how much money they can make..........heading up water districts, city councils, and other agencies that "interpret/enforce" laws that already didn't provide enough environmental safeguards in the first place. I guess "real" Florida just can't compete with the "Disney" Florida.

Gary S. Colecchio

No one likes to consider themselves the problem.

toomer

Imagine what it would be like if it didn't rain, like in California. If it gets a little dry here it isn't a long wait until a wet spell like this one comes along. Hard for folks who know very little about hydrology, geology, ecology and all the other ologies to get too worked up about it when everywhere they look there's water.

Droughts hit the state every 10-15 years historically. The last bad one was in 2006, so we are due. There are about 5 million more people living here now. So, gird your loins.

gill netter

I've been reading this forum for awhile now. Most of the discussion centers around who catches the most fish and how can we stop them from doing it. No one wants to admit that Florida waterways are a toilet for their own lifestyle. There are some really good writers here that could contribute to what you are trying to say. You just have to figure out how to attach a commercial fisherman to the problem. It seems that the resources are the commodity here...not the environment.
This publication has the following to bring some great ideas and show the destruction caused by poor water quality, but that would disrupt the paradigm that has been created with other legislation that has been implemented. It is my opinion that the owners and editors have stakes in the industy(s) that are causing the most damage to our waters, therefore not much is printed to bring the public awareness up.
Figure out a way to infuse a thread about poor water quality being a commercial fisherman's fault and you may start a new crusade.