EPA runoff limits for Florida labeled as flawed

Gainesville, Fla.-Agriculture interests fear that strict new water regulations proposed Jan. 15 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will levy a de facto water tax on Floridians by increasing water and sewer bills. The regulations could impose onerous economic burdens on farm operators as well. “For nearly a decade, Florida’s agricultural community has been proud to cooperate with other businesses and government agencies in the state’s Total Maximum Daily Loads program,” said Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick. “The TMDL program, which established numeric nutrient criteria based on watersheds, has caused Florida to be recognized as a national leader in water quality protection and restoration. This action by EPA abruptly changes that.” EPA’s proposed action, which the agency said was developed in collaboration with the state, would set a series of numeric limits on the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen that would be allowed in Florida’s lakes, rivers, streams, springs, and canals. EPA claims the standards will protect people’s health, aquatic life, and the long-term recreational uses of Florida’s waters. Hoblick responded that nearly 75 percent of Florida’s 2.1 million acres of irrigated farm land currently embraces voluntary agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs). Agricultural BMPs are practical, cost-effective measures that agricultural producers implement to reduce the amount of pesticides, fertilizers, animal waste, and other pollutants entering water resources. Best Management Practices are designed to benefit water quality while maintaining or even enhancing agricultural production. The Farm Bureau believes EPA’s overly simplistic approach, which affects only Florida, is generalized and fundamentally flawed because it does not take into account the unique characteristics of each of the state’s rivers, streams, and estuaries. Experts say the EPA standards will brand pristine streams and lakes as impaired, requiring the state to spend billions of scarce dollars to meet the standard. In some cases no technology currently exists to meet the proposed federal regulations, as in the case of agricultural wastewater, according to Farm Bureau. “There is no way to calculate the time and expense involved in creating that technology,” Hoblick said. “Agriculture may simply be unable to bear those costs. That should be of great concern to every citizen in Florida because a reduced domestic food supply would ultimately push food costs upward.”