News items from Eutrophication News

EU - Laundry and dishwasher detergents will have to be almost phosphorus-free in the future, following a vote in the European Parliament on Wednesday. The measures aim to protect aquatic life in waterways and seas around Europe

UK - The rapid rise in intensive agriculture since the Second World War together with the use of fertilisers has led to severe nitrate pollution in the River Thames, report scientists.

GREAT LAKES - State environmental officials say that Lake Erie’s toxic algae blooms have never been worse and warn that fish and billions of dollars in tourism revenue are at risk.

FLORIDA - A number of industry groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Fertilizer Institute, are calling on Congress to include a provision that would defund a set of Florida-specific water quality standards in the 2012 appropriations bill.

The Department of Natural Resources is proposing to remove 14 Lake Michigan beaches from its list of impaired waters.

Maryland's counties and cities say they will need to spend billions of dollars to take the extra steps needed to restore the Chesapeake Bay to health by 2020, the deadline the state gave them for action.

MANILA, Philippines – The red tide alert over seven towns and one city along the coastal waters of Bataan are still up after laboratory tests conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) showed that the waters are still positive for shellfish poison.

BALTIC SEA - Eutrophication is currently regarded as the most serious ecological problem for the whole Baltic Sea. Management of Baltic Sea eutrophication is challenged by the complex ecological characteristics of the eutrophication problem, societal differences across the Baltic Sea region, and the multitude of actors involved in governing these efforts.

ONTARIO, CANADA - Blue-green algae doesn't need to be a problem in Ontario. "While we know the cases and how to control it, we don't seem to (be doing anything)," David Schindler, of the department of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, said in a lecture on Wednesday. According to Schindler, who has studied blue-green algae causes and effects, phosphorus levels in lakes is responsible for algae blooms, which can be toxic.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has submitted a plan to the U.S. EPA to reduce levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the state's water.

NEW ZEALAND - Environment Canterbury has made a submission on the Proposed Hurunui and Waiau River Regional Plan on behalf of the Hurunui-Waiau Zone Committee, reflecting the consensus from the committee on the difficult issue of nutrient load limits for the Hurunui catchment.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- State regulators on Thursday approved a pair of water pollution rules that are being administratively challenged by environmentalists who say they are too weak to stop algae blooms that are choking Florida's waters.

Islamabad—The speakers here on Thursday at a seminar urged for an integrated aproach for water quality protection to maintain biological integrity. The lecture was organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

BANGKOK - As billions of cubic metres of water flow away from Thailand's devastating floods, experts and campaigners are warning that millions of sea creatures could be the next victims of the disaster.

New Mexico water regulators on Wednesday adopted a settlement that puts to rest a dispute over millions of tons of dairy industry waste produced each year in the state. The Water Quality Control Commission voted unanimously during a hearing in Santa Fe in favor of the settlement brokered by state attorneys, dairy farmers and environmentalists.

BANGKOK, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- Water quality has been found deteriorating in several canals and rivers in Thailand, caused by impacts from prolonged inundations, reports Thai News Agency (TNA).

The number of jellyfish found in the waters off British coast has risen dramatically. Experts are attributing the cause to three main factors: pollution, over fishing and climate change.

The rapid, large scale coastal development underway in the Middle East must be better planned and managed to avoid aggravating degradation and losses in the fragile marine ecosystems shared by eight Gulf countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – warns a new report by the United Nations University (UNU). The report, by UNU's Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health, says fisheries and a broad range of other valuable resources and services provided by the Gulf's ecosystems are at risk of being lost because of inadequate environmental management.

Efforts to reduce nutrient pollution flows to Chesapeake Bay appear to be working, because data show the size of oxygen-starved “dead zones” in the bay has been declining — offering hope that a similar effort could pay off for Barnegat Bay.

EU member states agreed on Tuesday (15 November) to proposals aimed at reducing the use of phosphorus compounds in dishwasher and laundry detergents, taking a decisive step in tackling the formation of algae in Europe's waters.