JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kenneth Cheeks spends his days fishing.
On Thursday, the Atlantic Beach native said he always checks the water before he casts his line.
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“I care about the water as far as what I eat out of it and whether it’s polluted and how much it’s polluted,” Cheeks explained.
Action News Jax has reported algae in local waterways since April.
According to a petition created by the St. Johns Riverkeeper, 89,000 tons of sewage sludge could be partially to blame for the toxic blooms.
The petition, which has more than 9,000 signatures, says a law is in place protecting South Florida’s waterways.
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It claims the sludge is being dumped in the St. Johns upper basin and spreading through the river.
Sewage sludge is treated, and the government deems it safe to use as commercial fertilizer.
The riverkeeper said the enormous amount being released in the St. Johns every year is the problem.
Action News Jax reached out to the Department of Environmental Protection about the dumping.
A spokesperson sent the following statement:
"With regard to the land application of treated Class B biosolids, the SJRWMD, in coordination with DEP, is monitoring areas in the broader Upper St. Johns River watershed with active application sites to understand the potential relationship between current application practices and observed water quality conditions.
"The SJRWMD provided DEP water quality data and analyses which hypothesized that increasing application of Class B biosolids over the past several years were responsible for increasing phosphorus concentrations in portions of the Upper St. Johns River.
"DEP created a Biosolids Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to evaluate, from a statewide perspective, current management practices and potential opportunities for enhancements to better protect Florida’s water resources. This TAC met from late 2018 through early 2019 and provided several management recommendations. Subsequently, DEP initiated rulemaking to revise biosolids application practices based on the recommendations of the TAC.
"These recommendations include establishing a rate of biosolids application based on site specifics; determining the appropriate application rate; establishing criteria for low, medium, and high-risk sites, and developing application practices and appropriate water quality monitoring for each; increasing inspection rate for land application; and developing site-specific ground/surface water monitoring protocols.
"These rule changes will result in a rule that is more stringent than previous regulations by:
- Taking into account site specific conditions.
- Elimination of nutrient runoff offsite.
- Increased monitoring.
- Built in site access for the Department to get onsite to inspect and conduct monitoring at any time.
- A mechanism in the application process to assess whether a site is appropriate for this kind of activity."
Cheeks said he’ll be looking into the effects on his own.
The fisherman explained: “Respect the waterway. You know, we eat fish out of here.”
Cox Media Group
