Algae blooms, caused by the pollution, can damage local economies. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that commercial fishing generates $5.6 billion in in-state sales and creates over 108,000 Florida jobs annually. This success depends directly on healthy fish populations. Over the past five years, dangerous algal blooms have led to inedible fish populations in the St. Johns, St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers, causing fishing industries to shut down for months at a time. This loss of revenue and jobs contributes to poverty. Decreased water quality can also leave people without water if the situation continues to worsen, and it is already happening in some other places.
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Works Cited
"Devastating Photos Of Florida Pollution Will Fill You With Rage." Huffington Post. HuffingtonPost. 2 October 2013. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/02/lake-okeechobee-pollution_n_4031154.html "FLA Water Brochure." Florida Water Coalition. FloridaWaterCoalition.org. Retrieved from http://floridawatercoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/FLA-Water-Brochure.pdf "Nutrient Pollution in Florida." Clean Water Action. Clean Water Action. Retrieved from http://www.cleanwateraction.org/feature/nutrient-pollution-florida "Protect Florida's Waters." Environment Florida. EnvironmentFlorida.org. Retrieved from http://www.environmentflorida.org/programs/fle/protect-floridas-waters Warrick, Joby and Fears, Darryl. "In Florida, a water-pollution warning that glows at night." The Washingont Post. The Washington Post. 26 October 2014. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/in-florida-a-water-pollution-warning-that-glows-at-night/2014/10/26/402cb636-5bba-11e4-8264-deed989ae9a2_story.html Posted by Angelica Scott
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