Cleaning Up Florida's Water: The Case for a Stronger Impaired Waters Rule

Publication Date: February 2002

Publisher: Florida Public Interest Group Education Fund

Author(s): Brad Heavner; Marisa Visel; Tony Dutzik

Research Area: Environment

Keywords: clean water act; water pollution

Type: Report

Coverage: Florida

Abstract:

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) adopted a rule in 2001 for implementation of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) provision of the Clean Water Act that, if followed, would have failed to address the contamination of many polluted waterways. The purpose of the "Impaired Waters Rule" is to identify all waterways that are contaminated and prioritize them for the development of cleanup programs. Under the DEP's rule, however, many polluted waterways would have been excluded from the list of impaired waters. Cleaning Up Florida's Water explores some of the proposed rule's shortcomings. [A court decision later forced revisions to the rule.]