Lawsuit could come from Florida Water Standards

By Fred Hers

The latest administrative ruling — that Florida environmental regulators acted properly when they enacted water quality standards less stringent than those of the federal government — isn't the end of the long battle over Florida water quality.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) soon will announce whether it accepts the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (FDEP) water nutrient standards instead of its own tougher standards for regulating nitrogen and phosphorus.

If the EPA acquiesces, "we would challenge it in the federal courts. We're not just going to go away. The trend for our water bodies continue to be negative," said Florida Wildlife Federation President Manley Fuller.

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