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Read. Follow. Verify.Stop Poisoning Florida Act (H.R. 2504)
Last action · April 7, 2023: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.Sponsor: Brian Mast
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop water discharges from Lake Okeechobee through specific lock and dam structures when toxin levels exceed federal safety standards for recreational water. It mandates that the Corps rely on EPA-recommended microcystin concentration limits to determine when these discharges must be prohibited.
Residents and businesses near the structures will see changes in water management practices, as the Army Corps of Engineers would be legally required to halt discharges when toxic algae levels exceed EPA recreational safety thresholds.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Residents near S-308 and S-80 structures
These residents are subject to changes in water discharge frequency and quality management near their properties.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The agency is required to implement new operational protocols for lock and dam discharges based on water quality testing.
Key Facts
- The bill mandates the Secretary of the Army to prohibit water discharges from Lake Okeechobee through the S-308 and S-80 lock and dam structures.
- Discharges must be prohibited when water exceeds the maximum microcystin concentration recommended by the EPA for recreational waters.
- The EPA standard referenced is the 'Recommended Human Health Recreational Ambient Water Quality Criteria or Swimming Advisories for Microcystins and Cylindrospermopsin' (84 Fed. Reg. 26413).
- The Secretary of the Army is authorized to use water quality test results conducted by the Secretary, other federal agencies, or the State of Florida to determine if the threshold is exceeded.
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- The prohibition applies to the current EPA criteria or any future successor water quality criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers the stop in water discharges?
Who is responsible for testing the water?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
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Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Water Quality Testing
The bill shifts the operational criteria for dam discharges from purely water-level management to include mandatory water-quality-based triggers.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment20Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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