Press Releases

Events Calendar

Standing Committees Are Scheduled As Follows:

International Relations - Monday, May 17, 10:00 am

Location: Azalea Trace - Contact 449-1746

Topic: Chaplain Mosely will speak about his recent trips to Russia.

The Committee will take a summer break.

Committe meetings will resume on Tuesday, September 21.

Natural Resources & Growth Mgt - Tuesday, May 18, 5:30 pm

Location: 116 N. Tarragona St. - Contact 449-1746

Tuesday, June 15, 5:30 pm

Tuesday, August 17, 5:30 pm

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All Monthly Meetings Are Open to the Public at No Cost

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No General Meetings Are Scheduled

For June & August.

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General Meeting Open to the Public

Wednesday, July 28, 5:30 pm

Tryon Library on Langley Ave

Topic: Aquarium Proposal for Pensacola Bayfront

The speaker is Bill Young, President of Aquarium for Pensacola, a not-for-profit advocate for conversion of the downtown wastewater treatment plant into an aquarium. Mr. Young will discuss the proposal for using ECUA's bayfront land & tanks as an aquarium, instead of selling the property.

The presentation will cover proposed design, site location, and funding.

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General Meeting Open to the Public

Saturday, May 8, noon

New World Landing

Topic: Congressional Districts: Are They Fair?

Mr. Ben Wilcox, Tallahassee lobbyist, will discuss proposed Amendments 5 and 6 (Fair Districts) that will set new standards for redistricting of legislative and congressional districts following the census. Mr. Wilcox will also present highlights of the 2010 Florida Legislative Session.

Mr. Wilcox worked as a reporter for the Florida Public Radio Network, providing reports on state government and the Florida legislature to public radio stations throughout the state. As a journalist he covered 23 sessions of the Florida legislature and won awards from the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists. In 1999, Ben Wilcox was named the executive director of Common Cause Florida, which is an advocate for government reform and is known as the citizens' lobby organization. He is now the executive director of Health News Florida, where he manages independent online news service focusing on health issues. Ben Wilcox has also been hired by the League of Women Voters of Florida to be their governmental consultant. He is representing the League before the Florida legislature in the 2010 legislative session. He was also recently named the Executive Director of the Hemlock Society of Florida. He will represent the Hemlock Society's position on end-of-life issues and the promotion of living wills and advanced directives.

A buffet luncheon will begin at noon followed by the speaker. If you wish to attend the luncheon, please send your $15 check made out to “LWVPBA”

to PO Box 2023, Pensacola 32513 by May 4.

You may attend to hear only the speaker's presentation.

For further information regarding your reservation call 449-1746.

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General Meeting Open to the Public

Saturday, April 17, 9:30 am

Tryon Library on Langley Ave

Topic: Coroner's Inquests: Are They Necessary?

Mike Kirk, a board member of the American Civil Liberties Union chapter, will discuss the way the local state attorney regularly uses coroner's inquests. His presentation will include the ACLU's view that the modern-day coroner's inquest procedure is unnecessary, costly, and serves only to politically insulate a decision not to prosecute.

Concern for this issue arose as a result of State Attorney William Eddins request for a coroner's inquest into the death of Victor Steen, who was struck and killed by a Pensacola Police officer's car on October 3, 2009.

Please arrive at 9:00 am for coffee, and program at 9:30 am.

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General Meeting Open to the Public

Saturday, March 20, 9:30 am

University of West Florida, Bldg 13, Room 230

Topic: Is Our Drinking Water Safe?

There will be a panel discussion of important drinking water issues that impact our everyday lives.

The panel will include Richard Wiles, VP for Policy and Communications of the Environmental Working Group (EWG). EWG is the organization that rated ECUA as the lowest rated water utility of the 100 big city (populations over 250,000) that they rated.

The League is the only organization to bring EWG to Pensacola of the recent forums held as a reaction to the EWG rating.

Other panel members are Mr. John Pope, Supervisor of Florida's DEP;

Dr. Richard Snyder, Professor and Director of the Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation (CEDB) at UWF; and Ms. Christy Drape, Drinking Water Specialist, Pace Laboratories.

The question of the safety of our local drinking water came into sharp focus when the media reported that the Environmental Working Group (EWG) rated the Emerald Coast Utility Authority (ECUA) as the worst of 100 water utility systems providing drinking water to a population of more than 250,000. EWG rated water utilities in areas with population over 250,000 based on three factors:
* the total number of chemicals detected since 2004;
* the percentage of chemicals found of those tested and;
* the highest average level for an individual pollutant, relative to legal limits or national average amounts, including for the most common pollutants (disinfection byproducts, nitrate and arsenic)

Join us at 9:00 am for coffee and program at 9:30.

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REVIEW OF THE MARCH 20 MEETING

Is Our Drinking Water Safe?

The safety of drinking water provided by the Emerald
Coast Utility Authority (ECUA) was discussed in a
meeting on Saturday, March 20 at UWF. The issue
was raised as a result of a critical report written by
the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit
organization whose mission is the protection of human
health and the environment. During the session, five panel
members differed strongly in the interpretation of data
related to pollutants in our local drinking water.

Dr. Richard Snyder, Director of the Center for
Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation at UWF,
explained that scientists attempt to provide objective
information while groups of activists use data to derive
opinions. Regulators set rules to be followed in
determining safety and, in the final analysis, politics gets
involved in the process.

Dr. Snyder noted that UWF evaluated the report of the
Environmental Working Group (EWG) and found it to be
flawed. He said the report reflected activism, not scientific
but political. Snyder’s research indicated ECUA is
meeting EPA guidelines; however he noted that EPA sets
standards at a level that is feasible and practical, rather
than at a prohibitively costly level. Further, EWG did not
look at risk assessment when it rated ECUA as the worst
utility in the country serving communities with
populations of over 250,000. Snyder suggested that
ECUA should publish the well-specific analyses on their
website and stated that, although some chemicals are
found in small amounts, dry cleaning fluids continue to
pose a serious problem for our drinking water. He further
stated that he has concerns with potential synergy of
multiple chemicals in the water and whether there are
untested pharmaceuticals in our drinking water.

John Pope of the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) presented an overview of the duties of
DEP in regulating 432 public water systems in northwest
Florida. Responsibilities of the Department include
oversight in the construction of water systems,
operation/maintenance of systems, monitoring reports
from the systems, enforcement and publicizing of
violations. He said that EPA has established a list of
contaminants that are regulated by his department.
Unregulated contaminants are evaluated by EPA every
five years to determine if they are widespread enough
nationwide to be evaluated further or be put on the
regulated list. This is a very slow process.

Mr. Pope pointed out that the sand and gravel aquifer
in Escambia and Santa Rosa is shallow and is extremely
susceptible to pollutants from runoff. Because the aquifer
is very acidic, ECUA must raise the PH level to prevent
corrosion in pipes. Carbon filters are very effective in
protecting the water from pollutants but home carbon
filters must be cleaned appropriately. ECUA also
chlorinates and adds fluoride to the system. Ten wells
have carbon filters to protect against chemical intrusion.

In the 1970’s only 20 chemicals were monitored; today 91
chemicals are monitored by DEP. Pope said safety is a
relative term; one must consider risk and benefits.

Christy Draper of Pace Laboratories, a dedicated
drinking water laboratory, explained the complexity of
lab testing of pollutants. Some facilities do not have the
expensive equipment necessary to test for specific
chemicals. She noted that pollutants are classified as parts
per million (PPM), parts per billion (PPB) and parts per
trillion (PPT). Parts per trillion would be equal to 1/20 of
a drop of water in a swimming pool. Pace Laboratories
was not involved in the tests done by EWG. She said that
Florida is one of the more proactive states in terms of
regulations. Reports of chemicals below the maximum
contaminant level are required and any detection is
reported.

Pat Byrne, Deputy Executive Director of Utilities
Operation for ECUA, explained that the ECUA
laboratory must be accredited before reports are
submitted, and some tests are sent to contract labs that
meet the accreditation. Employees must have
certification in handling pollutants to be tested. Standard
samples are run on an ongoing basis to detect the levels
of pollutants at the wellheads.

Each month, 175 bacterial samples are tested. He said
that Escambia County has a total of 31 wells. Ten of
these wells are problematic due to the dumping of dry
cleaning fluids and many of these are located in the
downtown Pensacola area. The cost of construction of a
new well is almost $4 million. At the present time, ECUA

is looking for an inland well-field site in order toprovide

protection for future wells. Fortunately, the level of disinfectants

is low locally and that eliminates one problematic area. Byrne

stated that ECUA meets every regulatory limit but they are still

looking for ways to give the public a better product. He agreed

that ECUA would be able to add the location of their wells on

their website for the benefit of the public.

Richard Wiles, Senior Vice President of
Environmental Working Group (EWG), came from
Washington, DC, to defend the research his
organization had publicized. While acknowledging
the criticism of the EWG findings by the previous
speakers, Wiles stated “Policy needs to change to keep
up with the science.” In his opinion, this is not
happening. There are 316 identified contaminants;
however 202 of these are unregulated and EPA has not
set a new standard since 2001. According to Wiles, “a
typical position of a utility is to clean up water
problems of someone else”. The report of EWG
found 45 contaminants in the water from ECUA. That
number was higher than for any comparable utility
system in the country; thus ECUA was rated as the
worst utility.

Mr. Wiles said it is time to reform the Safe Water
Drinking Act. “We need stronger safety standards.
The standards for contaminants have not been set low
enough to protect the public. In addition, the
standards have not been assessed for interaction,
synergistic effects. What are we going to do to protect
the sources of water? We need to coordinate the
Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.”
Wiles asserted that some of the unregulated
contaminants may be interacting with other chemicals
in water and he is concerned that no research is
underway to answer this important question. He was
extremely critical of EPA and its lack of stringent
protection of both the sources of our water and the
quality of the nation’s drinking water.

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General Meeting Open to the Public

Saturday, February 20, 9:30 am

Tryon Library on Langley Ave.

Topic: Protecting Florida's Water

Linda Young, director of the Clean Water Network of Florida, will discuss current efforts underway that will greatly affect Florida's waters in the future, and our ability as citizens to have a voice in how well our waters are protected. The three main issues of her focus include numeric nutrient criteria, stormwater treatment, and designated uses. The Clean Water Network of Florida is a coalition of almost 300 groups and many thousands of individuals that are committed to full implementation, enforcement, and strengthening of the Clean Water Act and other safeguards for our water resources. Ms. Young has successfully challenged and brought enforcement actions against the Florida DEP and the US EPA as well as large polluters such as the Florida dairy industry, International Paper Company, Monsanto Chemical Company, Buckeye Pulp Mill, and St. Joe Development Company.

Linda Young has been leading the fight to protect Florida's rivers, lakes, springs, wetlands and estuaries since 1994. The Clean Water Network of Florida is a coalition of almost 300 groups and many thousands of individuals that are committed to full implementation and enforcement and strengthening of the Clean Water Act and other safeguards for our water resources. Ms. Young hold a B.A. in Communication Arts/Journalism and and a M.A. in Political Science.

In 1989, Linda Young founded a statewide environmental newspaper called the Pro Earth Times. The paper was published monthly for eight years and was widely distributed across Florida. She has founded or co-founded several of the most effective environmental organizations in the southeastern United States over the past 20 years.

As a fifth generation Floridian, Linda has strong protective instincts for Florida's waters. As a mother of three children, she has serious concerns about the public health effects of the many toxic chemicals that Floridians are being exposed to in fish and drinking water.

Linda's environmental work for the past 20 years has been focused on helping citizens to participate in decision-making processes, strengthening Florida's water quality standards, and fighting for more stringent permits for large polluters such as paper mills, chemical plants, and sewage treatment plants.

Linda has successfully challenged and brought enforcement actions against the Florida DEP and the US EPA as well as large polluters like the Florida dairy industry, International Paper Company, Monsanto Chemical Company, Buckeye Pulp Mill, St. Joe Development Company and others.

Join us for coffee at 9:00 am and program at 9:30.

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REVIEW OF THE FEBRUARY 20 MEETING

Protecting Florida's Water

“Water is the new Oil”

At the February monthly meeting, Linda Young, Director of the Clean
Wa t e r Ne t wo r k , presented a picture of the battle underway for the control of water in Florida. “Water is the new oil.” The controversy
encompasses supply, quality and usage. Major contenders for usage of water are agriculture, development, industry, water suppliers, golf courses and
residents. The battle is being waged on various fronts: the court of public opinion, regulation arenas and in the courts.

Ms. Young identified issues of great concern that impact
clean water, including:
- setting pollution limits on nitrogen and phosphorus;
- total maximum daily loads (TMDL);
- site-specific alternative criteria (SSAC);
- stormwater rules

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held public meetings to brief the public on its proposed new rules on numeric nutrient pollution criteria. These numbers include the level of allowable pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus. At the same time, Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) is proposing a new category of water that is designed to avoid the Clean Water Act. This designation would include water too polluted for swimming and barely suitable for fishing. This would result in the weakening of Florida's water quality standards by creating new "designated uses" that are only "boatable" and "splashable", rather than the current standards
of "fishable" and "swimmable".

The EPA’s proposal includes numerous confusing and convoluted ways for Florida to avoid implementation, even if the revised standards are signed into law. The federal rule includes a new concept of restoration standards which would entail a phased-in plan to allow 20 years to reach standards; thus Florida’s most polluted waterways could legally not become "fishable/swimmable" for an entire generation.

When asked if local governments have any effect on the protection of water, Ms Young identified Sarasota, Lee, and Walkulla Counties, as well as Marco Island, as places where the power of local government resulted in the development of strong water policy. Questions of surface water issues,
including the rule of the Environmental Regulation Commission, water management districts, mixing zones and aquifer protection were of interest to the members. There is still much work to be done.

The Clean Water Network of Florida is a Coalition of more than 155 groups committed to full implementation, enforcement and strengthening of the Clean Water Act and other safeguards of our water resources. Check their website
www.cleanwaternetwork-fl.org for more information.