News & Public Affairs
Tampa water bill task force update & city spent $165,000 on Gasparilla listen
03/03/11 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: high water bills, water, Tampa City Council, Gasparilla, Hyde Park
Today Tampa City Council heard an update on the administration’s task force into unusually high water bills. Recently the council suspended the top billing tiers for the city’s highest water users. Steve Daignault, the city’s utilities administrator, said only a small fraction of the spiked bills are due to tiered bill...
Be the first to commentWill state Legislature kill the Pinellas fertilizer ban? listen
02/01/11 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: fertilizer ban, Pinellas County, state legislature, Pinellas Legislative Delegation, Mike Fasano, Peter Nehr, water
The phrase “kill the bill” is not something one would associate with environmental advocacy. Yet today at a joint meeting between state and local lawmakers, Pinellas County Commission Chair Susan Latvala, a Republican, said she wants state lawmakers to do just that to proposed laws that would overturn the county’s lawn fertilizer ban. The ban, which is not yet in full effect, applies to summertime use of fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorous.
Excessive use of nitrogen and phosph...
Be the first to commentNew Tampa residents livid about sky-high water bills listen
01/28/11 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: water bills, Tampa water department, Joseph Caetano, water
Some New Tampa residents saw their water bills soar in November and December. Dozens of them packed a town hall meeting this morning to find out why – and few left satisfied.
Deborah Bernard lives alone in Northeast Tampa. Her last water bill was forty-eight dollars. She was probably expecting her balance due this time around wouldn’t be much different. That’s why she was a little surprised when she got her bill.
That $863 is for an estimated 105,400 gallons of water – that’s enough to ...
Be the first to commentTampa Bay Water gets 90 million gallon/day permit listen
01/25/11 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tampa Bay Water, SWFWMD, Southwest Florida Water Management District, water wars, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Odessa, water
The board that oversees water usage in the Tampa Bay area has granted Tampa Bay Water permission to withdraw 90 million gallons of water per day for another ten years. This means the area’s biggest supplier of water can continue withdrawing the vital resource from area lakes, streams, and the rich aquifer that underlies much of the Sunshine state. Today water manager Alba Mas told the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s governing board the agreement comes with several conditions. ...
Be the first to commentEnvironmental activist concerned about toxins from landfill sinkhole getting into aquifer listen
12/16/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: landfill, sinkhole, Hillsborough County, toxins, water, aquifer, Waste Management
On Tuesday, a large sinkhole opened in a southeast Hillsborough County landfill. Some environmentalists are concerned the toxins from the landfill could contaminate the aquifer.
The 25-year-old landfill is operated by Waste Management and according to the county's website, the facility receives non-processable solid waste, shredded tires and demolition debris. I only has a clay lining.
Vivian Bacca is a board member of United Citizens Action Network and is active in community and enviro...
Be the first to commentHillsborough Commissioners vote not to ban fertilizer use in summer listen
07/15/10 Matthew CimitileWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: fertilizer, fertilizer ordinance, environment, water
Hillsborough County Commissioners voted 5-2 this morning not to ban the use of fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus during the summer rainy season. They made their decision in their role as the board of the Environmental Protection Commission in front of an audience filled with fertilizer representatives and environmentalists.
After months of debates and delays, Hillsborough County Commissioners decided not to follow the precedent set by Sarasota and Pinellas Counties. Hillsbor...
Be the first to commentHillsborough Commission hears updates on oil spill and stricter fertilizer ordinance listen
05/20/10 Matthew CimitileWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: water, offshore oil drilling, fertilizer
The Hillsborough County Commission met earlier today to hear an update of the oil spill and the likelihood of potential impacts on Tampa Bay. They also discussed preventing damage to Tampa Bay from a major on-shore pollution source – that is, residential fertilizers.
In August of 1993, a freighter and two barges collided, dumping over 360,000 gallons of oil, jet fuel and gasoline into Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay’s worst oil spill contaminated 13 miles of beaches and injured sea turtles, birds, ...
Be the first to commentLong Process of Repairing Tampa Bay Reservoir Continues. listen
04/19/10 Matthew CimitileWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: water, reservoir, environment, desalination
The Tampa Bay Water Board held a public meeting this morning in Pinellas County. They discussed the reservoir, and progress on its renovation.
Over three and a half years ago, the first cracks—measuring 1,900 feet—were discovered at the newly erected C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir in Hillsborough County. John Kennedy, a Tampa Bay Water engineer and project manager, said the cracks b...
Be the first to commentSWFWMD Board Considers Impact of January Freeze listen
03/30/10 Tom BaurWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: SWFWMD, swiftmud, water, drought, sinkholes
During this January’s hard freeze, farmers sprayed well water onto their plants to protect them from the cold. There’s still controversy over who will pay for damaged wells and roads.
More than 50 people today attended the Southwest Florida Water Management District Board meeting at Hillsborough Community College Plant City campus. Plant City homeowner Steven Gambrells is concerned that the high volume of water pumped from the Flori...
Be the first to commentThe future of water availability and desalination in Florida listen
03/23/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: water, desalination, Water conservation
Yesterday was World Water Day. We brought you the first half of an interview with Sandra Postel, an international water expert and the National Geographic Freshwater Fellow in 2010.
Today, in part two, Postel speaks about how Florida is affected by water issues.
The Apr...
1 comments