Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Water district: phosphorous reductions fell short
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- The South Florida Water Management District says phosphorous reductions from farm runoff into the Everglades fell short of annual requirements for 2007.
Agriculture achieved just an 18 percent reduction in the amount of phosphorus entering the Everglades during the period between May 2006 and April 2007. The state's Everglades Forever Act calls for a 25 percent annual reduction of the life-choking nutrient that is a common ingredient in fertilizer.
However, district officials say farmers remain in compliance because reductions are measured over three-year periods. And the goals have been met each previous year since the act was created in 1994.
Water managers believe sediments from Lake Okeechobee stirred up during the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons -- along with a recent 18-month drought -- contributed to this year's increased phosphorous levels.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
