|
Piney Point Closure
Back on Track
Bay managers finally got a little good news about Piney Point, the abandoned fertilizer plant near Bishop Harbor in Manatee County.
Receivers for the bankrupt facility have begun closing one of the seven compartments that hold about 1.2 billion gallons of wastewater, with plans to close the others over the next two years. Rather than filling the compartments and covering them with soil, plans call for removing water and lining the bottom of the ponds with heavy-duty polyethylene to provide short-term emergency capacity. Over the long term, the lined phosphogypsum stacks may be used to store more than a billion gallons of reclaimed water for agricultural use.
And while the U.S. EPA refused to extend the permit for ocean dispersal of treated wastewater, enough water has been removed that managers hope to stop discharges to Bishop Harbor - one of the bay's most pristine settings - by February, assuming normal rainfall.
While ongoing water quality monitoring in Bishop Harbor suggests only minimal impact from the treated wastewater discharges, a new study aims to determine if there have been any changes in the local fish populations. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) are using nets to catch and examine juvenile and adult fish within the estuary, then comparing findings to historic data from the harbor to see if the fish community has changed over time. FMRI biologists will provide monthly summaries and a final report to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Great Splash is Great Hit
"Great Splash," the newest exhibit at Great Explorations, is a great hit at the hands-on museum where kids are learning about the water cycle.
Funded with a grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the exhibit focuses on the importance of water by teaching kids how much water it takes to grow a lawn, wash a car and even make a hamburger. Another component of the exhibit is "Water Cycle Pinball" which illustrates what happens to water in a whimsical, 3-D contraption with lights and sound effects.
Groups who make reservations in advance also can play "Wonderful Water" and "X-Treme Estuary" to learn more about the water cycle and the critical role estuaries play in ecosystems.
For more information or reservations, contact Great Explorations at 727-821-8992 or visit www.greatexplorations.org.
|
|
Hillsborough County Purchases Land on Cockroach Bay
Nearly 15 years after a 2389-acre site on Cockroach Bay was first nominated for preservation, Hillsborough County and the Southwest Florida Water Management District have purchased the site once destined to be a nuclear power plant. "TECO said yes!" said County Commissioner Jan Platt, who was chairman of the Hillsborough County commission in 1987 when the land was first nominated for purchase through the county's Environmental Land Acquisitions and Protection Program. The site, just north of the Manatee County line, is the last major link in a 20-mile corridor along the southeastern edge of Tampa Bay. The county's ELAPP purchased the land for $2 million and the District's Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program will provide $1.5 million to restore the site.
Congratulations!
Christopher Boykin has joined the staff of Crystal River State Buffer Preserve in Citrus County to track populations of diamond terrapins at the 36,000-acre sanctuary. Officials there contacted Boykin after reading an article on terrapins he wrote for the Bay Soundings Summer 2003 edition about The Little Turtle the World Forgot .
Correction!
Thanks to astute readers Michael Sorice, staff researcher for Florida Marine Research Institute, and Jason Robertshaw, Sea Trek coordinator for Mote Marine Laboratory, for flagging an error in our Fall 2003 edition. A clip art illustration appearing in the quarterly calendar alongside an announcement for TECO’s Manatee Viewing Center featured an Australian dugong, which is not a manatee. Dugongs inhabit the coastal waters of Australia, southeast Asia, eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and India. The Florida manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian Manatee, is the only member of the order Sirenia that visitors to TECO will see. Three lashes with a wet tail fluke for us, and free year-long subscriptions to Bay Soundings for Sorice and Robertshaw.
Tampa Bay is getting better
You can help
 Buy a Tampa Bay Estuary tag and help keep Tampa Bay on the road to recovery. They're available year-round in your local tax collector's office or request a Tampa Bay Estuary tag with your annual renewal.
The cost is $27 for the first year and $17 after that - with $15 going directly to projects that benefit the estuary, including the publication of Bay Soundings.
|
 Manatee Roundup Nets Three for Checkups
Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Marine Research Institute captured three manatees near Apollo Beach on December 9 so scientists from several agencies could perform health assessments. This is the fifth year of the roundup, which takes place in the warm-water discharge canal of Tampa Electric Company's Big Bend power plant, where manatees congregate in winter.
Checkups included an ultrasound blubber analysis, blood work and weigh-in, yielding critical baseline data that will help form future management plans. Before being released, the animals were fitted with satellite tags to track their movements, while tiny pit tags implanted behind each ear will allow scientists to identify the animals. The annual roundup is part of a study to better understand the factors affecting manatee use of industrial warm-water sources.
|
