"Will New Regulations Allow More Toxic Chemicals In Florida’s Water?"

"In the first update to the state’s water quality standards in 24 years, the state moved to allow more toxic substances to enter the water. Environmentalists decry, and businesses support, the proposal."

"Proposed chemical regulations mandated under the Clean Water Act could make Florida’s surface waters more – or less – potable depending on who you talk to. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently proposed new standards for surface water pollutants, 24 years after they were last updated.

On Tuesday, the state's Environmental Regulation Commission (ERC), a seven-member panel appointed by the governor, held a public hearing and approved the DEP’s proposal by a 3-2 vote. Hotly debated were rules that create new standards for 39 chemicals that currently have no limits and updates for 43 others based on new data about national water quality trends and averages for human weight and water use released by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last summer, according to a DEP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page about the proposal.

In response to the question, “Is DEP weakening standards?,” the DEP wrote, “Absolutely not. DEP and EPA are strengthening Florida’s water quality standards, not weakening them.” However, environmental groups such as the Florida Clean Water Action Network (FL-CWN) and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), are fighting the rules."

Roya Sabri reports for the Christian Science Monitor July 27, 2016.