Tryon: Water pollution began before population grew

When it comes to water pollution on or near the Gulf Coast, we have met the enemy — and he is us.

Yes, there are other enemies, including industrial and agricultural industries that thrive in inland Florida and discharge water — laden with nutrients and other pollutants — into creeks and streams that eventually drain into rivers, bays and the Gulf.

Yet there is no escaping the fact that folks like you and me contribute to the problem — and, for those of us who've lived in these parts for a long time, our contributions have spanned the decades.

It's true that population growth and development have significantly increased the volume of sewage and stormwater runoff. But it is neither accurate nor fair to place all — or most — of the blame on growth and development, as some seem prepared to do.

When the populations of Manatee and Sarasota counties were only a fraction of what they are today, responsible environmental stewardship was not a priority.

Those fancy houses crammed onto Bird Key precariously rest on sand dredged from the bottom of Sarasota Bay — smothering sea grasses in the process. The city of Palmetto regularly dumped untreated sewage directly into the Manatee River when I was a kid, and Tropicana did the same with its industrial waste. The city of Bradenton's unlined landfill was located adjacent to the Braden River. Sarasota County, which resisted building sewer and water infrastructure — lest it supposedly lead to population growth — allowed septic tanks to proliferate near waterways and, where sewers and treatment plants existed, they were small-time systems operated by for-profit companies.

When it came to water pollution, the good old days before the population influx weren't so good.

Manatee County initiated significant change in the early 1980s, when it committed to a massive project that extended sewers and treatment to all but the most remote areas. Bradenton upgraded its outdated system about the same time and the city of Sarasota, under pressure from regulators, invested in an advanced-treatment system for its sewage — dramatically reducing the nitrogen loads of its final product.

Sarasota County purchased so-called package systems and financed some upgrades. But as recent news and commentary have noted, the county and its residents and ratepayers failed to invest as necessary, enjoying financial savings in the short term but compounding the eventual costs of improvements.

Has growth exacerbated the problem? Sure. But there is plenty of blame to go around, and much of it dates back to decades ago.

Tom Tryon is opinion editor.