WEDNESDAY: E.P.A. to Hold Additional Public Hearings on

(ATLANTA - April 13, 2010) On Wednesday, the E.P.A. (EPA) will hold additional public hearings in Tampa to ensure that Florida residents' voices are heard regarding the agency's suggested Florida water quality standards. The requirements will protect people's health, aquatic life and the long term recreational uses of Florida's waters, which are a critical part of the state's economy.

E.P.A. is accepting public comments on the suggested requirements through April 28, and is holding public hearings on the suggested rule in 3 Florida cities to obtain input and comments on the direction of EPA's rulemaking. The hearings are scheduled for April 13, April 14, and April 15 in Fort Myers, Tampa, and Jacksonville respectively.

Nutrient pollution can damage drinking water sources; increase exposure to harmful algal blooms, which are made of toxic microbes that can cause damage to the nervous system or even death; and form byproducts in drinking water from disinfection chemicals, some of which have been linked with serious human illnesses like bladder cancer. Nutrient pollution problems can happen locally or much further downstream, leading to degraded lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries, and to hypoxic "dead" zones where aquatic life can no longer survive.

WHO: Ephraim King, Director, Office of Science and Technology, E.P.A. Office of Water

WHAT: E.P.A. suggested water quality requirements for Florida

WHEN: Wednesday, April 14, 2010, Noon - 4:00 pm; 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

WHERE: Hilton Tampa Airport

*** Credentialed press should sign-in at the registration desk

More on the suggested rule and public hearings:
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/rules/florida/

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