Environmental Reviews & Case Studies: Evaluation of Coastal Ocean Discharges and Environmental Impacts in Southeast Florida

Abstract

This article outlines the current literature regarding anthropogenic inputs of nutrients and microorganisms into the coastal oceans. The concern about nutrients and microorganisms in coastal marine waters is that they may cause a shift in local populations of organisms and encourage invasive algae and coral diseases. The lack of baseline data on marine populations makes it difficult to determine the source of marine population shifts. This report focuses on the question of whether there is sufficient data to implicate coastal ocean outfall discharges of secondary treated wastewater effluent in southeast Florida as a causative agent in impacts to coastal communities. The literature does not appear to support evidence of population shifts from any particular source. Environmental Practice 12: 285-303 (2010)

Faecal pollution along the southeastern coast of Florida and insight into the use of pepper mild mottle virus as an indicator

“…2Á6 million people (U.S. Census Bureau 2014). ; Rosario et al 2009;Bloetscher et al 2011;Futch et al 2011;Bloetscher et al 2014). The major source of faecal pollution to the coastal marine environment varies depending upon the surface currents, with both inlets and ocean outfall surface boils having tested positive for human and zoonotic pathogens (e.g.…”

“…2Á6 million people (U.S. Census Bureau 2014). This area has a long history of faecal pollution because domestic wastewater is treated via on-site septic systems abutting inlets or by one of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that discharge secondary-treated, chlorinated effluent via ocean outfalls (Bloetscher et al 2011(Bloetscher et al , 2014. The major source of faecal pollution to the coastal marine environment varies depending upon the surface currents, with both inlets and ocean outfall surface boils having tested positive for human and zoonotic pathogens (e.g.…”

“…norovirus, Giardia spp. ; Rosario et al 2009;Bloetscher et al 2011;Futch et al 2011;Bloetscher et al 2014). The WWTP ocean outfalls are located several kilometres offshore where the Florida Current usually prevents the onshore movement of surface boils.…”

The Use of SF<sub>6</sub> and GIS to Study Farfield Modeling of Ocean Outfall Plumes in Florida

“…Several found tracers to be not viable in Florida [48]- [52]. Gray [53] investigated the impact on Australia's outfalls on fish populations, but detected no numerical impacts on fish larvae, which is not inconsistent with the finding of Bloetscher et al [18] for Florida's outfalls. Outfall plumes that do not follow the flow regime of the Florida outfalls or their currents include plumes modeled by many others [54]- [66].…”

“…Differentiating which, if any of these discharges may be the source(s) of nutrients is nearly impossible. Despite these numerous sources of nutrients, the outfalls have long been a target of divers as the cause of the algal blooms, despite the lack of data to implicate the outfalls [18] [20].…”