Is our current red tide and the bottom mortality event related to the Piney Point wastewater discharge?
No. Scientists know this because (1) offshore discharge of Piney Point wastewater in 2003 was monitored for nutrients, red tide, and dispersal patterns; (2) nearshore discharge at Bishop Harbor was monitored for red tide for 2 years; and (3) laboratory experiments were conducted in which Piney Point wastewater was added to red tide and the effect on red tide cells measured. The Piney Point wastewater discharge occurred offshore over the fall of 2003. During the discharge, scientists at FWRI, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), and the University of South Floridas (USF) College of Marine Science sampled the offshore discharge area each month after discharge. Of 271 water samples from the discharge area examined by microscopic analysis, red tide cells were found in only two, both at the extremely low concentrations normally found offshore. Analysis of dissolved nutrients in the seawater after the passage of the discharge barge offshore showed that they were either
