Taylor County Beaches Among Most Polluted in State
The Natural Resources Defense Council has issued its annual beach water quality study, and Dekle and Keaton Beaches have ranked among the top 10 most polluted in Florida, according to the Tallahassee Democrat:
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20090730/NEWS01/907300315/Area-beaches—risky—-Big-Bend-water-quality-among-lowest-in-state&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
Beach water is tested weekly for bacteria levels, and those levels exceeded federal standards 62% of the time for Dekle Beach and 41% of the time for Keaton Beach.
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20090730/NEWS01/907300315/Area-beaches—risky—-Big-Bend-water-quality-among-lowest-in-state&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
Beach water is tested weekly for bacteria levels, and those levels exceeded federal standards 62% of the time for Dekle Beach and 41% of the time for Keaton Beach.
Let's go scalloping. Come on in the water is fine now that we are picking up dog poop and funding commercials(public service announcements). How many times are we/ya'll gonna fall for that crap. Trick me once shame on me. Trick me twice shame on me twice. What have we learned?
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These beaches are probably the least populated in the State so you can't blame this on development. I know Buckeye is next on the blame game but not all the way to Carrabelle. Try again.
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Untreated human sewage from some 550 Buckeye workers year-round (that oxygen-adding system in the settlement ponds doesn't kill the bacteria, in fact it doesn't even add oxygen!) goes right into the river and out into the Gulf. You are scalloping and swimming in Buckeye's filthy mess in what is supposed to be the "nature coast"...hahaha
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It's got to be lack of water flow and/or old septic tank failures...I want to know what the test parameters are...
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Third time's a charm.
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Were #1, Were #1, Were #1! So much for appropriate development folks. This is why a lot of folks always question the carpet baggers and others who want to come to Trailer County and build big developments providing "jobs" and saving the day. Before Trailer County can have any meaningful development we have a lot of house cleaning to do, and that starts with electing suitable officials and sweeping out the courthouse of all of the sorry ilk that need to go home. This should be no surprise, look at the total lack of leadership at the county level and lack of direction to do anything proactive for our community. This should really help tourism!
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Wow! Let's see how the Shamber (Chamber) of Commerce, Treason (Tourism) Developmnet Council and Taylor County Treason (Development) Authority turn this news into a marketing plan! Instead of jumping on every band wagon of bad development ideas and projects, these groups should work on protecting and preserving our coast. Only the morons from Georgia are wanting to come fish and play in the septic tank coastal communities of trailer county! LOL!
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SOC,
This is the most preserved coastline in the State. 90% of it is already in conservation. What are you talking about? Please give details.
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http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/sumflo.pdf
Go to this web-site and read the report for yourself.
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Polluted coastline and gulf for a few jobs? Hey it works for trailer county, we all want new pick-up trucks, four-wheelers, a bass boat, breast implants, fake tans, cheap food, beer, cigs-dip, tatoos, cankle bracelets, stuff we can't afford............that's the life! LOL~
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sounds to me like you look down on people here.that does nothing to further the conversation.if you think so badly of people here simply leave dont run your mouth about trucks tattos implants or other things you mentioned,i assumeyou consider yourslf an elite, what you convey is insulting and speaks to your own churlishness,confine yourself to the topic
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What few jobs have polluted our coastline? What development has polluted our waters? These comments are not making sense.
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Foleyboy I like your retort,that person probably wouldn't understand the report if he/she read it. Not being nasty just boarder line truthful.
Florida Testing the waters 2009
9th in beachwater quality (3% of samples exceeded national standards)
Indicator Organisms: Enterococcus, fecal coliform
Standards: Florida applies the EPA standard for enterococcus of a single-sample maximum of 104 cfu/100 ml anda geometric mean of 35 cfu/100 ml, as well as a fecal coliform single-sample standard of 400 cfu/100 ml.
Monitoring
Determination of Monitoring Locations and Frequency: Beaches are prioritized for monitoring on a county-by-county basis. Criteria are population served, pollution potential, and rainfall. While this ensures that the most critical beaches in each county are monitored, there are a wide variety of beach characteristics in Florida, and beaches chosen for monitoring in one county may not be as important as beaches left unmonitored in another county.
Practice: Samples are collected in water that is approximately 18 inches deep, usually in the morning. Lab analysis takes a minimum of 24 hours to complete, and with transport and reporting, county health departments usually receive results about 30 hours after samples are collected. Most sampling is conducted Monday through Thursday.
Results: In 2008, Florida reported 634 coastal beaches, 306 (48%) of which were monitored once a week, and 328 (52%) were not monitored. For the fourth consecutive year, NRDC looked at the percent of monitoring samples that exceeded the state’s daily maximum bacterial standards (all reported samples were used to calculate the 2008 percent exceedance values, including duplicate samples and samples taken outside the official beach season, if any). In 2008, 4 percent of all reported beach monitoring samples
exceeded the state’s daily maximum bacterial standards. The beaches with the highest percent exceedance rate in 2008 were Shired Island in Dixie County (90%), Dekle Beach in Taylor County
(62%), Alligator Point (56%) and Carrabelle Beach in Franklin County (43%), Shell Point Beach in Wakulla County (43%), Keaton Beach (41%) and Hagen’s Cove in Taylor County (40%), Mash Island in Wakulla County (39%), Bayou Chico in Escambia County (30%), and Cedar Island in Taylor County (27%).
Dixie County had the highest percent exceedance rate in 2008 (90%) followed by Taylor (42%), Wakulla (41%), Franklin (27%), Citrus (19%), Levy (11%), Pasco (9%), Miami-Dade (8%), Hernando (6%), Escambia (6%), and Pinellas (6%).
The areas of Cedar Is. Dekle,Hagens Cove,Keaton tested for bacteria. Pollutents coming from storm water, boats, septic, unknown,wildlife.
http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/sumflo.pdf
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Ahhh…the methodology …the scientific method for measuring e-coli bacteria, that are the only two tests performed at the beaches on the water. Testing is performed for two types of e-coli only. Positive/negative counts are scored to a summary language model using standard definitions. I say much poop-poopy doo over nothing. This is as common as fleas and going-on for days, a more serious threat may well be the identification of possible link to skin infections which include antibiotic resistant strains.
There are more pressing issues facing the locally affected communities which are the new boating/fishing laws which require more citizen payer participation. $1,000.00 fines for sea grass destroyed by boat operators, while development and waste deposal from industry are basically exempt. Industry has destroyed 10 square miles of sea grass within the Aquatic Sea Grass Preserve, without industry and government participation in a meaningful discussion of protection, conservation is meaningless. Conservation defined is to save and protection. We have accomplished neither. In Florida this kind of repeated manipulation is called “grandfathering” allowing unacceptable conditions/behaviors because “that’s the way it’s been done and the rules changing ain’t my fault”. It is a poor excuse for a miserable outcome but it happens all the time. My advice is turning your head toward leadership locally and in Tallahassee and asks the hard questions about those “parameters” in the test of fair treatment.
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Several years ago the Environmental Studies Academy at TCHS took the water samples from the beaches and reported the results to the health department. I was a part of that. I thought the methodology was biased because at Dekle Beach the water sample was taken in the canal at the wooden bridge. At Keaton Beach the sample was taken right off of the public beach shore. At Dark Island, the water sample was taken just off the Faulkner property bridge. At Cedar Island the water sample was taken in the canal off Bishop Clarks dock. It stands to reason what with old septic tanks that run straight into the canals that Dekle and Cedar are going to come out with the worst results and they usually did. I complained about this to the Health Department and was told that they were testing to document the need for a sewer system at the Beaches area. For that reason I didn't take the issue any farther because we certainly do, and now have a sewer system at Keaton (and Ezell I think).
The Environmental Studies program at the high school was disbanded several years ago so I don't know who is doing the testing now or if they still test at the same sites but I do think they should publish their methodology as well as their results.
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To add to this, yesterday we made the Yahoo! Featured News Section due to a Forbes.com article listing Dekle Beach as number 5 in the top ten most polluted beaches. A link to the article is below:
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/americas-most-polluted-beaches.html
Take a look at the 'Percent Exceedance'.
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Are these samples taken during the scalloping season? I ask this because of all the people scalloping and pooping in the water. I have seen some poop in the water when fishing.
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Ewwwwww!
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The article is interesting. If they checked the water once a week how come the total samples taken in 2008 was 21? Also, I've heard that they have put swimming advisories at Hagan's Cove. There are no septic tanks at Hagan's Cove! Its probably as pristine as any of our coastal spots. So they do need to tighten up their testing and also concentrate on the sources of pollution so we can clean up our beaches!
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The Taylor County coast is reaping what local potentates, charlatans and boss-hogs planted years and years ago! Inappropriate development, development with code violations, and pooping where you eat are all now mushrooming into a major problem for trailer county. How many sewers of the potentates who live on the coast drain directly into our coast? The fact is, without some type of sewer system for the coast, future development is not possible and exisiting development is problemmatic!
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Totally off this topic but I did not find a current open comments topic page.
What is up with the eight foot tall chain link fence on the bridge on Golf Course Road? You gotta see it to believe it?
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There is a 'General Discussions Topic', but it may be way down the page. I will move it farther up and I have no idea about the fence.
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Not for sure about the fence but I think it's probably to keep litter from being thrown into the river via automobile. There is one similar on Buckeye Nursery Rd at the sink hole. Just a guess.
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is the fence to stop people from fishing?.....or from committing suicide by jumping in?
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Google search this
expedited permitting OTTED, and then ask yourself, has the state of florida ever expedited anything for you?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM-mfEMssy8
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http://www.apalachtimes.com/articles/tate-7478-heart-hell.html
Sound familar?
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I did not or let my family venture in the polluted coast this summer. I am hopeful that when the water cools off we can go fishing without worrying about bacteria and fecal matter! I know many who feel the same, but if you ask around, there were many boats on the water most weekends!
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http://www.postonpolitics.com/2010/06/feds-sign-off-on-florida-fishery-failure/
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Read the local paper and think about Industrial area the entire county and the most polluted beaches. No more crab houses and no more free fish fry so who will file a claim that will not be disputed? The lower standards supported by the county and passed by FDEP to allow more of the same pollution. Wake up people you allow this to happen, what you say? Others (meaning those who do not live here) and a few locals to rip everyone off and posion every one.
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BP did what? Who is killing the beaches and wildlife in the bay. It was dead before BP happened, the oil spill is an add too not the reason. I know lets exempt BP from having to be accountable or responsible for destroying the Gulf waters and marine life. That's just our style, beside industry can not harm us government will not allow it.
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I caught a bunch of fish and crabs in our gulf this year. So where is this dead spot your talking about...oh, I forgot..you don't have to go to the gulf to know this....lmoa
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Did you eat the crabs and fish? Did you feed it to your family. There are those laughing at you for that but I am not. People make alot of money off your acceptance of pollution and dirty food source. But it's not me. God created the earth and put man in charge of stewartship but I guess that went the way of love thy neighbor. Maybe your laughter will cover up tears to come, poor people are often taken advantage of because they do not know any better.
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Fellow, your just who I thought you were...why do you think everyone is laughing at you? You really do need help. And the fish and crabs, well they were delicious, too bad you don't go get some from our beautiful gulf. I bet your eating all that imported seafood that is raised in dirty water and treated with chemicals just so they'll grow....maybe thats your reason for you being paranoid.
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Give it up fisherman. The beaches are maxed out this year with scalloper's and fisherman. None has gotten ill as long as I have been here. The people on here have problems that can't be resolved so let them be. We'll just enjoy the Taylor County coast as we have for years and enjoy its beauty and bounty it gives us. And I'll leave this for those that may learn from it: "If you look for Darkness, that is what you'll find"
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Yeah Bluewater, that darkness that buckeye dumps is not only dark and black, but poison too.
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The people on here have problems that can't be resolved so let them be...
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Whats up? Are you planning to file a claim with BP over your loss of livelyhood since Taylor County coast line is so valuble and the amazing gulf supports your commerical fishing company? I forgot in Taylor county there is always something fishy going on like square mullet and non exsisting fishermen? Blow that smoke up some body elses pants and fill up their shoes with that rain water.
Wish You had been there for the women who lost their jobs in the crab houses. Thats blue water alright but its in your swimming pool.
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http://www.gulfspecimen.org/catalog/specimens/mollusca/bivalves.html
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Good news... The NOAA has tested Gulf seafood and deemed it safe to eat:
http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/98290394.html
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That is bs and You and I both know this, so please tell us the true fish story. I can
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Stop pretending all is well. The facts fail to prove the buzz-words. The company in question here in Taylor County is an unregulated pulp mill complex of industries that are exempt from regulation and the citizens living, fishing,hunting and eating food produced locally are at risk of over exposure to industrial chemical such as dioxons,furans, and the like. Stop the promotion of the company profit making by lines. It's crap and I know and you know it or else you would not continually avoid honest discussion. The blogger is right, and you can relieve yourself in someone elses shoe and tell them its raining. I'm saying do not waste your time and mine telling me lies. Every man, woman, and child eating fish and shellfish caught off the coastline in Taylor county are a greater risk of exposure if they consume the catch. The company has known this since the 60's, 70's 80's that I am aware of and continue to say it is acceptable to exposure the people of this community to posions and the county leadership agrees. Now thats the truth and you can deny this until the cows come home. But I say the people of Taylor County deserve better.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/StJoeBay/StJoeBayHC051507.pdf
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You want me to apologize to the polluter for demanding a local clean up and telling the truth.
You r joking right?
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Fisherman I do hope you can read and comprehend as well as you throw insults at the wrong person. I am not the one harming you and your family. Please consider this BP had a safety plan and we all see how well that worked.
http://books.google.com/books?id=amleuWT9M40C&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=buckeye+crab+analysis&source=bl&ots=vHTJQlGy2y&sig=r_eO13ZHU_Iw8OAXdYU6Gm6SH3Y&hl=en&ei=K3c4TLTuBMH_lgflppDVBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CB4Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=buckeye%20crab%20analysis&f=false
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Why is it illegal to gather oysters along the taylor county coast,,, and legal to gather scallops ?
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The trusting souls from Taylor county can not tell a bi-value from a decal.
You can not explain the reality to stupidity, Mermaid. Besides it a money thing like the girls on US hwy 19 some people would sell their souls for cash.
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Let's talk about something important. The Marky mark show disappoints me with the people of Taylor County's ability to say something of value and interest.
Mark blog is like an Allen Boyd add old and boring. It is an insult to the intelligents of everybody.
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Thousands of folks eat seafood from our waters each year. So its bad huh, guess it must be people that don't eat it that has a problem with it. I'll continue eating it as I have for almost 60 years...I'll worry myself with whats for supper instead of what some worrywart is fretting over. Hey ma ,I'll get some fresh mullet for supper tomorrow night...hush puppies and guava jelly, pork and beans, grits, sweet pickles and a gallon of sweet tea. See what ya'll are missing by being paranoid! And I'll probably outlive you so keep worrying, it'll get you before anything else will.
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Millions smoke cigarettes but it done make them good for you or decrease the chance of getting sick. Lets have this discussion when the shoe is on your other foot and you are sick and dying. But you know what they say there is no fool like an old fool, or was that damn fool?
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I know what you mean try to talk to a smoker about the dangers of cigarettes and they will become angry and combative just like these mullet eaters. Its called denial and it works for crack addicts and street walkers too.
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Hey Mulletman, you have said cheese grits, they are the best. lol at all of them.
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Health Effects Research
Laboratory
Cincinnati OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA-600/S1-81-023 Apr. 1981
Project Summary
Epidemiological Study of
Klebsiella pneumoniae Among
Pulp and Paper Mill Workers
Marty S. Kanarek and Nijole R Caplenas
In a one-year study fecal coliform
and Klebsiella bacteria densities were
measured in several of Wisconsin's
pulp and paper mill processing wash
waters, treated waters, and waters
receiving pulp and paper mill effluent
discharge. The isolation of fecal coli-
form bacteria ranged from as low as a
minimum detectable level of less than
10 organisms/100 ml water sample
to as high as an estimated 5 x 106
organisms/100 ml water sample.
Water data were obtained from an
effluent survey of twenty plants and a
within-plant survey of three mills.
These findings support previous
investigations concerning the selec-
tive growth of coliform bacteria in
pulp and paper mills utilizing pro-
cessed water recycle loops.
Biochemical testing revealed that
over 50 percent (range from 4 to 97
percent) of the fecal coliform bacteria
associated with pulp and paper mill
processing were identified as bacteria
of the genus Klebsiella. of which K.
pneumoniae was found to be the most
prevalent species.
Sampling of paper mill workers re-
sulted in Klebsiella isolation from the
upper respiratory tract. Klebsiella bio-
typing revealed that the Klebsiella
isolation from a pulp mill worker
matched the Klebsiella biotype found
in the plant's processing waters. An
additional relationship was observed
between Klebsiella biotypes isolated
from plant sanitary sewers and the
mill's processing waters.
There is a strong suggestion that
upper respiratory tract colonization,
with potential health hazards, can
occur in pulp and paper mill workers
occupationally exposed to Klebsiella
bacteria. K. pneumoniae has been
identified as the predominant coliform
bacterium from such an industrial
waste source and is responsible for 2
percent of the bacterial pneumonia
cases in the susceptible population of
the United States and 60 to 70
percent of the deaths attributed to this
disease. Recycling or reuse of water
within the pulp and paper industry has
been shown to enhance proliferation
of K. pneumoniae densities. Until
further research to assess the health
risks of populations exposed to water
contaminated with Klebsiella is
carried out, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency should not
encourage recycling within the pulp
and paper industries as a means of
reducing waste discharges.
This Project Summary was develop-
ed by EPA's Health Effects Research
Laboratory, Cincinnati. OH, to an-
nounce key findings of the research
project that is fully docume
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Oh, sorry I forgot...keylime pie for desert and some cajun coffee. Yum, yum...
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Now ya talking..
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Burrrrp! Boy was that mullet good. And we had a few scallops left from a couple weeks ago that got hot grease on them too. There wasn't any room for coffee and Key Lime pie, but tonight ain't over yet...lol...Enjoy the local seafood and live long and prosper...going on 60 and ain't looking back....
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Hey Mulletman, where was the swamp cabbage?????
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Hey Junior, Sorry but the swamp cabbage man let me down this week. But thats ok cause I got some more scallops to clean and a couple of flounder that made their way into the boat. And I'll get cabbage man on the lookout for three cabbages with my name on them.lol.peanut oil and yellow corn meal on my flounder,just like Jabo's..yummy! And all them folks worrying about the water down here...good, that leaves more room for me. Have a good life on dry land.
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You might be if your famous last words are watch this....
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http://taylor.ifas.ufl.edu/marine_seagrass.shtml
Need a map of dead seagrass?
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"If you are gonna be stupid you gotta be tough" You heard it here, ignore it where you are and have another mullet and a tall glass of iced tea.
Guess who is exempt?
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/downloads/maps/bigbend.pdf
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You keep reading, I'm going after more scallops, mullet and a flounder. Yes there will be another fish fry as there has been for years, and thanks for passing on this wonderful info that I never read. When I slow down, maybe when I reach 70, I might take time to put on my specks and give it a look, until then, keep your feet dry...lol
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Mulletman, why don't you read the information you have been presented??
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Do you believe everything you read? How accurate is the data? In my younger days scientist were telling us we would freeze to death, another ice age on the horizon. WHAT? Yes, in those years based on the "best" data, we were going to lower temps and back into an ice age. So my friend you can take all the data that YOU feel is accurate and worry as you please. But at 60 years old and never having any reactions from eating oysters out of local creeks or from fish caught from them and swimming in the water on our coast since childhood, based on that data which is current and ongoing, I will live the rest of my life in this same way. How's that for scientific research! Now you just keep finding things to worry about and I'll send flowers your way when the man comes to pick you up from that stroke or heart attack you gonna have worrying bout stuff.....your friend, the Mulletman.
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Denial. I think someone already pointed that out. Read on and lets see how long it takes to reconsider or not. By the way where is the mullet coming from without any registered commercial license /fishermen in Taylor county at least the dept of state shows no record. A local seafood restaurant? Never believe anything you hear and only half of what you saw or what was the measure of truth and correct, I forgot.
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Do you like roses or carnations?
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Who are you bluffing? Better blow that smoke the other way? Anonymous posting is making you a lot braver than you really are.
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"Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people." --Admiral Hyman G. Rickover
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What will happen next week when the storm hits the gulf?
Our way of life has never been protected by industry, government or citizen. It is what it is because we have acted the way we have without forthought or knowledge.
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Thanks to the swamp cabbage man, we gonna have some of these fine eatings with the mullet and scallops I have acquired. I know, the cabbage is bad for me because they were grown in dirt and swamp water..lol..We must give thanks to the Creator for the fine place he has chosen for us to live. We sure are blessed to have the bounty from the gulf to enjoy! Gotta go...Ma has the cabbage smelling good with that smoked bacon..So its time to eat...Ya'll take care, and keep your footsies dry...
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This is how you sound when you post silly content and it only hurts you.
I will eat food that's safety is questionable to spite you, I swear I will, watch me...just you watch me.
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You might be if
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