'Black Lagoon' Turning Green

WAKULLA SPRINGS | The Black Lagoon has been turning green in recent years.exdate=new Date();exdate.setDate(exdate.getDate()+1);var undefined;function Get_Cookie( name ) {/* get current cookie value */var start = document.cookie.indexOf( name + "=" );var len = start + name.length + 1;if ( ( !start ) &&( name != document.cookie.substring( 0, name.length ) ) ) {return null;}if ( start == -1 ) return null;var end = document.cookie.indexOf( ";", len );if ( end == -1 ) end = document.cookie.length;return unescape( document.cookie.substring( len, end ) );}/* Define current_cookie value */var current_count = Get_Cookie('articlecount');var current_count = parseInt(current_count);var userid = Get_Cookie('UserRegID');var userid = parseInt(userid);/* Maximum articles to read */var maximum_count = 3;if (current_count) {number = current_count + 1;}else {number = 1;}document.cookie="articlecount=" + number + ";expires=" + exdate;if (current_count > maximum_count) {document.cookie="articlelimit=reached;expires=" + exdate;} .threshold_hidden {visibility:none;position:absolute;}.threshold_visible {visibility:block;} Wakulla Springs, where "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and several Tarzan movies were filmed, is just one of more than 700 springs throughout Florida where the water quality is being threatened by fertilizer and wastewater runoff.Used for swimming, boating, camping and cave diving, Florida's springs are an attraction for tourists and residents alike. But nutrient pollution from the runoff - mostly nitrogen and phosphorus - has damaged water quality around many of Florida's springs. While water bodies require a certain amount of nutrients to be healthy, too many can cause explosive algae blooms, lowering oxygen levels of the water and leading to a decline in wildlife habitat. Proposed legislation, however, could help reverse those effects.Park officials at Wakulla Springs have already started working with local governments to clean up the water, but that's not the case for many other areas in Florida. Bills moving through both chambers of the Legislature would create a task force to study some of Florida's largest springs and recommend changes to the way nearby land is used and preserve them.The Florida Springs Stewardship Task Force would study existing data on major threats to the state's 33 largest springs and develop ways to address those threats. It also would look for ways to fund its recommendations. The task force would make a report to the Legislature by January.Janet Bowman, a spokeswoman for The Nature Conservancy, said the proposal comes at a critical time."We're reaching a tipping point at some of the springs, and we won't be able to restore the water quality," Bowman said.The state is already doing a lot to protect the springs, but more can be done, said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole."When you look at not only the recreational value that those springs provide but the ecological value, they're critical to our state, and they need good protection," Sole said.Increased nitrogen and phosphorus levels have become a problem statewide, said Jerry Brooks, a deputy director with the department.A major source of nitrogen and phosphorus is fertilizer from lawns, sports fields, golf courses, farms and ranches. Another major source is human waste, either waste that's been treated and pumped from sewage facilities or oozing from septic tanks.To address the problem, the state would have <a href="http://www.theledger.com/article/20080413/NEWS/804130434/1004/RSS&amp;source=RSS">Continued here...</a>
SOURCE: http://www.theledger.com/article/20080413/NEWS/804130434/1004/RSS&amp;source=RSS
TAGS: lagoon, turning, springs, currentcount, florida, wakulla, phosphorus, number, quality, floridas, nitrogen, source|