WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
It’s particularly a problem in low income neighborhoods, and efforts are underway to connect those houses with failing septic systems to sewage lines.
Read More »Bill Seeks To Replace Septic Tanks With Sewage Lines In Gainesville Neighborhoods
Gainesville Residents Protest Seven Springs Water Permit At Ginnie Springs And Santa Fe River
The Suwannee County Water Management District will vote on the renewal of the Seven Springs Water Company’s contract later this year.
Read More »County Fertilizer Ordinance in Effect, Local Landscaping Professionals Speak Up
Local lawns might not look as green this fall due to an updated Alachua County fertilizer ordinance, and lawn care companies are starting to feel the effects. The amended ordinance, which took effect on Oct. 1, implemented a seasonal ban on the use of fertilizers containing nitrogen – a main …
Read More »Leaking Septic System Fouls Fish Camp
McIntosh Fish Camp's owners are desperate to stop the flow of what they believe is raw sewage from flowing into Orange Lake.
Read More »Community Brainstorms Ideas to Help Prepare for Alachua County Fertilizer Ban
The Alachua County Commission adopted the ordinance amendments in April to help preserve county water sources like springs, lakes, creeks and the aquifer.
Read More »As Planet Heats Up, Scientists Race To Save Reefs
Over the last year, the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering has put together a team to find ways to protect dying coral reefs. These solutions range from gene editing to manipulating clouds.
Read More »With Weather Extremes Projected For Jacksonville, Elected Officials Cool To Aggressive Climate Action
By Brendan Rivers & Ayurella Horn-Muller for Climate Central In September of 2017, flooding caused by Hurricane Irma destroyed the house that Tom Davitt was renting on Jacksonville’s Westside and wrecked tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of his uninsured possessions. “I rolled out of bed because I thought it was my alarm, and it was a tornado warning. And I stepped into a foot and a half of water,” the 56-year-old yacht broker said in February. “I’m basically starting all
Read More »Sandy Soil And Rising Seas Spell Septic Tank Disaster In Florida
By Brendan Rivers Communities across Florida are already grappling with aging septic tanks, which leak into groundwater and are considered a leading cause of toxic algae blooms. As sea level rise is expected to worsen that situation, the state and cities are beginning to tackle the expensive task of converting septic systems to sewer or newer septic technologies. It’s no small challenge. Floridians are estimated to be using 2.6 million septic systems, most of them the conventional variety with two
Read More »Young Leaders for Wild Florida Fight Against Proposed Phosphate Mines
A group of young people spoke in front of the Alachua County Commission on Tuesday in order to fight in opposition to a proposed phosphate mine in southeastern Union County and in western Bradford County. HPS Enterprises is the company behind the HPS II phosphate mining project. It is made …
Read More »The Point, June 4, 2019: What Is The Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site’s Future? No One Yet Knows
It's been almost a year since Alachua County announced it was considering the Cabot-Koppers Superfund as a possible location for the new county fairgrounds.
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