As millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater flows into Tampa Bay, wildlife advocates say they’re worried about a chain reaction coming for marine life while fearing for their hard work to restore the bay’s quality. Tuesday, state officials updated on progress monitoring the impact on water quality. “They’ve been testing actually the clams and the oysters and right now they don’t see any issues,” said Nikki Fried, the Florida commissioner of agriculture and consumer services. The state is draining wastewater from a reservoir holding fertilizer byproduct at Piney Point’s abandoned phosphate plant, piping it to Port Manatee on the southern shore of Tampa Bay. The water has phosphates and nitrogen in it, two things normally not in the water this time of year. “When you put nitrogens and phosphates into the Tampa Bay estuary, you’re essentially fertilizing the bay. And the first organism that’s able to absorb those nutrients are algae,” said Peter Clark, the president and founder of Tampa Bay Watch, an environmental education center and nonprofit. To view the full article visit Fox Tampa Bay.
