WATERSHEDPart 1: Shining Example
Shining Example
By Jack Prator
After decades of pollution suffocated Tampa Bay and killed half its seagrass and much of its marine life, unprecedented political cooperation and hundreds of science-guided projects brought the estuary back to life. Tampa Bay became a symbol for the success of the Clean Water Act of 1972, and humanity’s ability to clean up pollution. But in the 50th anniversary year of the Clean Water Act, seagrasses and fishes have begun to die again. The Bay is losing ground — again a symbol, this time of declining water quality after a half-century of gains.
Red-Handed
By Marlowe Starling
New research finds that human pollution influences the severity of red tides more directly than scientists previously understood. The connection sheds light on the need for better water-quality monitoring statewide — and ultimately, to reduce the nutrient pollution flowing into Florida’s waterways.