FRC 2019 participants raised over $30,000 for our 2019 charity, The Gift Of Swimming. Thanks to everyone in the remediation industry who contributed to our success this year. Single Copy Price: $5 Florida algae task December 2019/January 2020 force releases report Volume 41, Number 6 By ROY LAUGHLIN NEWgenerator 5 he state’s Blue-Green Algae Task A research team from the University of South Force released its first report in Florida has developed a portable solar-powered T October, a modest but succinct wastewater treatment system that generates energy, list of recommendations to reduce the nutrients and potable water. frequency and manage the severity of harmful algal blooms in Florida waters. Bloom prevention, control 6 Not surprisingly, the report put the AECOM engineers have developed a modestly finger on the “increased delivery of sized mobile system that uses microbubbles to se- nutrients to Florida’s water bodies … quester cyanobacteria cells in a surface floc that as the primary driver of algal prolifera- can be easily skimmed from water. The system may tion and subsequent degradation of prove valuable in handling harmful algae blooms. aquatic ecosystems.” The report also cited land use Duke coal ash 9 changes, alterations in hydrology, and Duke Power filed a coal ash residuals report this increased temperatures and variability summer describing findings of excess levels arsenic, in precipitation associated with climate lithium and molybdenum in groundwater at its Crys- change as significant contributors to nu- tal River Energy Center in Citrus County. The com- trient transfer from land to surface wa- pany is now considering the best methods for site ters. remediation. The report recommended specific actions be taken in eight categories. Knight on nitrates 10 BMAPs Currently, Florida’s water quality Bob Knight thinks the 2016 Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act lacks the teeth needed to standards are regulated through basin resolve the nitrate pollution problem in Florida’s management action plans intended to springs. So far, the data show he is spot on. ensure compliance with numerical nu- trient standards. The standards are re- quired under a court-mandated consent Land acquisition 16 agreement. The Florida Department of Environmental Pro- The task force criticized the strat- tection purchased more acreage within the Wakulla egy in use for its underfunding. Even Springs Protection Zone Florida Forever project. willing local partners are frequently “unable to execute projects,” the report alleged. Departments Photo courtesy of Kinsley McEachern Perhaps more critical, the “effective- Calendar 11 Kinsley McEachern, University of South Florida at St. Petersburg, collects dis- Opinion 10 crete water samples from Tampa Bay for a microplastics study. McEachern, Federal File 2 ALGAE along with a researcher and students from Eckerd College, produced the first Continued on Page 13 extensive quantitative study of microplastics in Tampa Bay. See story below. Florida Notes 3 Water Watch 4 Microplastic particles found in large Got a story lead? Got an idea for a story? Like to submit a column for numbers in Tampa Bay water, sediments consideration? Let us know. And don’t forget to fill us in on your organization’s new people and programs, projects By ROY LAUGHLIN The source of the small thread The researchers’ collection data and technologies—anything of interest to environmental pieces is likely laundering wastewater. showed that samples that exceeded professionals in Florida. Send to P.O. Box 2175, Golden- arine microplastic pollution The fibers that pass through the filter- twice the average microplastic tally of rod, FL 32733. Call us at (407) 671-7777; fax us at (321) refers to small particles of ing process of some wastewater treat- all samples correlated with high rain- 972-8937, or email [email protected]. M synthetic polymers in water ment plants are discharged into the bay. fall events occurring within a week be- and sediments. Other textile degradation processes fore sampling. Address label change? During the last five years, much of may also contribute some of the micro- The correlation between greater If your mailing label is inaccurate or incomplete, please the available microplastic contamina- plastics. microplastic fiber abundance and rain- contact us with the correct information at Post Office Box tion data has come from studies in The researchers found that “intense fall was seen in samples taken from both 2175, Goldenrod, FL 32733; fax (321) 972-8937; or e-mail [email protected]. We appreciate your help with which investigators found microplastics rainfall events in the summer always keeping our circulation database accurate. and, in some cases, identified the chemi- preceded samples with substantially MICROPLASTICS cal composition and/or origin of the par- higher counts” of microplastics. Continued on Page 14 ticles found. A recently-published study of microplastics in Tampa Bay added con- A look back at highlights from FRC 2019 centration numbers to the marine By ROY LAUGHLIN mental Protection Agency would stick PAID microplastics narrative for the first time. to its proposed regulatory schedule, PERMIT 1556 ORLANDO, FL U.S. POSTAGE Researchers collected 4.5 ± 2.5 Presorted Standard RC 2019’s perfluorinated com- even after tasking its Office of Water microplastic particles per cubic meter pounds session was provocative with the lead on the PFOA initiative an- of water. In sediment, the concentration F this year as the focus shifted from nounced this spring. was much greater, 600 pieces of curating and reviewing existing infor- Another take-away from Buechler’s microplastic per pound of dry sediment, mation to a more critical analysis of talk is that the ubiquitous PFOA com- or 280 ± 290 particles per cubic meter recent research and plans for standard- pounds often co-occur at contaminated of sediment. setting and cleanup techniques. sites with plasticizers. PFOA com- Researchers sampled 24 sites around The session’s first speaker, Karla pounds’ resistance to chemical destruc- Tampa Bay. They calculated that there Buechler, corporate technical director tion may make site remediation of are about three trillion pieces of at Eurofins TestAmerica in West Sac- mixed media contamination a much microplastics in the sediment and one ramento, CA, characterized current ana- more complex technical operation. trillion pieces in the water, totaling lytical methods as “archaic.” If the expected low cleanup targets about four trillion particles throughout The U.S. Environmental Protection are eventually established, reaching the the ecosystem. Agency has an analytical method for necessary levels will become still more Small pieces of synthetic textile drinking water that is minimally reli- challenging. P.O. Box 2175 P.O. Goldenrod, FL 32733 threads were the dominant microplastic able and will bias results toward the William Kerfoot, PhD, principal material found—more than 75 percent lower end. of all microplastic particles collected in In response to a question, Buechler FRC CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED 1912 CHANGE SERVICE the bay. said she doubted that the U.S. Environ- Continued on Page 15 EPA delays rule for coal ash impoundment cleanup, residuals management Staff report disposal standards will be extended to 2028. Wastewater, in this case, refers to In November, the U.S. Environmental water drawn from the ash pits to prevent Protection Agency announced it will de- overflowing. Rain events are often the lay electric utilities’ compliance deadlines cause of pit overflows. for coal impoundments and rules for the Impoundment water from these pits can handling of coal ash residuals. be used or recycled to scrub solids from The rule, passed in 2015 during flue gas. the Obama administration, is in- The 2015 rule required 100 tended to prevent the contami- percent recycling of ash pit wa- nation of ground and surface ter. The delay until 2028 is con- waters. It requires that lined tingent upon impoundment op- disposal pits not be in contact erators demonstrating that they with aquifers for long-term are taking voluntary measures storage. It also restricts the use to prevent chemical contami- of coal ash for fill dirt and simi- nants such as arsenic and mer- lar uses. cury from escaping the storage The proposed rule delay impoundments. will give most coal ash produc- The Trump administration, ers until Aug. 31, 2020, to shut in response to industry pres- down or retrofit unlined ash sure, initially proposed to de- pits. lay rules until some unspeci- For some facilities, the new fied future date. A court deci- rule proposes an additional three years to sion last year required EPA to formally de- meet impoundment requirements. fine a schedule for utilities to meet the de- The new rule also affects wastewater layed deadlines. handling at coal plants and impoundments. The New York Times reported that EPA The deadline to meet new wastewater estimated the rule affects about 1,000 coal pits and ash ponds, and thousands of addi- tional sites where ash has been buried. Re- searchers have found that the vast major- ity of these coal pits leach contaminants to some extent to nearby groundwater or PFAS Forum surface waters. A recent study by Avner Vengosh, PhD, professor of earth and ocean sciences at April 22-24, 2020 Duke University, looked at the release of coal ash contaminants in three different U.S. regions where coal is mined and thus is a primary electricity-generating fuel. Renaissance Tampa International His research demonstrated extensive Plaza Hotel mobilization of arsenic, selenium and chro- mium-6, the toxic form of that element. Tampa, Florida Vengosh noted that extensive coal ash re- leases to surface water raises the water’s pH, making the toxic forms of those ele- ments more abundant. His research, as well as comments from environmental advocacy organizations such as Earthjustice, criticized the 2019 proposed rule delay noting that the unre- stricted placement of coal ash for proposed “allowable beneficial uses” will contami- nate surface water, groundwater and drink- ing water sources with dangerously el- evated levels of toxic elements leaching Forum Purpose: from the ash.