water quality

Officials say drinking recycled, thoroughly-treated wastewater is perfectly safe but there are also psychological hurdles.

As of this year, Florida rules allow for reclaimed water, or recycled wastewater, to be treated and distributed for drinking.

Many Florida springs suffer from reduced flow and habitat loss, as well as excessive algae and heavy pressure from human use. Because most of the state’s springs are not monitored by any research institution or government agency, the full scope of the problem remains unclear.

Environmental groups recently filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency for stalling the adoption of rules establishing new and revised water quality criteria in Florida.

President Trump has sought fewer environmental rules and more oil and gas development. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has carried out that agenda by announcing massive regulatory rollbacks.

With Florida set to ban fluoride in public drinking water, health officials in Utah — the first state to impose a similar prohibition — say Floridians without fluoridated water will suffer the most.

Data from the CDC shows 31 utilities in Florida had annual average fluoride levels that were approximately half the CDC’s recommended level or less for at least a year.

The lawsuit came after a record 1,100 manatees died in 2021 in Florida, many because a lack of seagrass — a key food source — led to starvation. The most deaths, 358, were in Brevard County, which includes a large part of the Indian River Lagoon.

Stirring city politics and putting the city manager’s job at risk is a report from Riviera Beach Mayor Ronnie Felder. The report includes complaints from 33 employees or former employees who agreed to air criticism of their managers.

So far, water utility reports reveal 89.3 million people have been exposed to PFAS nationwide, although a peer-reviewed article from 2020 estimates that number to be around 200 million.

Here’s a glimpse of the magnitude of the challenge and ways you can reduce 'forever chemicals' in your own drinking water at home.

WLRN is starting the new year with its participation in two public events this month to explore the local impact of climate change and water quality in South Florida.