What Was the Issue on Perdido Bay this Week?

This past week starting on Monday morning--I was inundated with phone calls, emails, and Facebook messages from constituents who wanted to know one thing: what was going on in Perdido Bay?   Many residents believed there had been a sewage spill--and these folks wanted answers immediately.  And I wanted answers too!

So we mobilized county staff and they IMMEDIATELY went out and began sampling the water that day.  They also coordinated with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Alabama Department of Environmental Protection, and other environmental non-profits in both Florida and Alabama to help get to the bottom of the mystery.

On Tuesday, we received our first results, which I will post here, below.  Here were the sample breakdowns:

Site	Water Temp (C°)	Conductivity (uhmos/cm)	Salinity (psu)	DO (mg/L)	DO % Saturation	pH	Turbidity (NTU)	Entero   (MPN/100mL)
12960 Ogden Dr	29.48	15362.4	9.1	7.46	102.2	7.81	3.41
1181 Perdido Manor Dr.	30.13	22200.6	13.6	6.48	92	7.72	6.95
Lazy Acres	30.36	13854.8	8.1	7.05	97.6	7.5	2.67

On Wednesday afternoon--commissioners were provided with the definitive answers about what it was that was causing the issues on Perdido Bay--when we received the below correspondence from County Environmental Director Chips Kirschenfeld:

"Hi Commissioners,

Escambia County scientists from the Natural Resources Management Department responded on Monday to water quality concerns regarding reports of floating algae mats and possible high bacteria concentrations in Perdido Bay.  Field personnel collected three separate samples along the Florida side of the Bay north and south of the Lillian bridge.

Samples were analyzed in the Escambia County Water Quality Laboratory for enterococci bacteria which are an indicator of possible fecal contamination in marine or brackish waters.  County test results from Monday afternoon show low levels of enterococci bacteria well below the Florida water quality standard.  The Florida Department of Health uses 70 colonies/100 mL as their threshold for issuing a health advisory under the Healthy Beaches Program.  All three of the county samples collected earlier this week were below 20 colonies/100mL. 

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) reported recent enterocci bacteria results for 6 bathing beaches on the Alabama side of Perdido Bay.  All of these most recent samples were below levels of concern and in the normal range of water quality.    

Wednesday morning, we received enterococci results from the Mobile BayKeeper from samples collected Monday on the Alabama side of the Bay.  According to the correspondence received, the Alabama samples did not exceed the USEPA threshold for safe swimming.  The Mobile BayKeeper indicated this morning that there is “no evidence there has been a  sewage spill or other release of human fecal matter.”   The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has received no reports of sewage spills on the Florida side of the Bay.

Also received Wednesday morning, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) conducted DNA based tests (HF183 & Humm2) to evaluate for human markers of wastewater.  All three of the FDEP samples were non-detect for these markers suggesting the material of concern is not human sewage.

The algae mats observed are Lyngbya and Spirulina (blue-green algae in the Cyanobacteria phylum).  These algal species are commonly found in warm brackish waters.  A diverse bacterial community and diatoms are often found living within the matrix of the algae.  Some of these bacteria may produce hydrogen sulfide and methane gas which can smell like rotten eggs or sewage.

Please contact me if you have any questions, thanks.

Taylor “Chips” Kirschenfeld

Escambia County Senior Scientist

Department Director, Natural Resources Management Department"

Why Did We Move This Soil, Though?

An Anonymous Complaint (above) was sent out back in April.  It has been reviewed and the claims have been substantiated. At this point, more than $53,000.00 in fines are estimated for the removal of contaminated soil from this facility.  But why did we move this soil?

The county financed a project to modernize and improve the gun range utilized by the Escambia County Sheriff's Office.  We did this last year.

To the best of our knowledge the job was done and there were no issues.  

Friday afternoon we were notified about a possible environmental issue associated with the project.

An anonymous tip (above) was sent to various entities describing the unauthorized removal of contaminated material from the site.  The Florida Department of Environmental Protection ultimately visited the site, visited the location the material was moved to, and notified the county of a violation of state and federal environmental laws.

13 Dump truck loads of contaminated soil were moved from the pistol range to a non-permitted site, which will result in a fine

It appears that the county and the contractor will both be fined, and the total amount will exceed $53,000.00.  This amount will likely go higher once the consent order is received from FDEP, according to staff.

My question is pretty simple and basic:  Why did we remove the soil from this site--why was it

Big Take-Away's from a Sit-Down with the Scientists: IP Discharge Permit a Complicated Process

What is the latest on the state of District 1's Perdido Bay?  Read about it below from a meeting I had with FDEP. 

I have read a lot of opinion pieces in our paper lately about International Paper's discharge that eventually flows into Perdido Bay in District 1.

I must admit I am no expert on any of this stuff, so I reached out to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) so that I could meet with them to learn more about the issue, the process, and whether or not the stories in the news and cartoons were true or gross exaggerations.

As it turns out--the truth is not so easy to discern and lies somewhere in the middle of the competing claims.

So late yesterday afternoon  I sat down with Mr. Shawn Hamilton, the District Director of NW Florida for The Department of Environmental Protection.  Also present were Brandy Smith, External Affairs Manager for the FDEP, and Chips Kirschenfeld, the County's Interim Asst. County Administrator and Director of Natural Resources Management.

They presented me with reams of information and a summary of the last several decades of history between the state and IP as it relates to their permitting for discharging process water.  Although I was drinking from the fire hose as I tried to grasp as much of this technical information being provided as quickly as I could--I did manage to walk away knowing a lot more than I did before I took the meeting.

The big takeaways I bring from the meeting:

1.  International Paper (IP) is NOT currently "Breaking the Law" with their discharges.......but

2.  International Paper is NOT  currently meeting water quality standards.  IP currently operates an "Administratively Continued" Permit. (Permits only last 5 years under Federal Law--and the last IP permit took 15 years to issue)

3.  Perdido Bay as a water body is healthier now than it was in the 1990's--and IP is working to meet the standards of their current permit while also working to obtain a new permit from FDEP.

4.  A huge improvement occurred when IP, beginning in 2010, halted discharging process water directly into 11-Mile Creek and instead diverted this water through wetlands IP purchased to the west