In a lawsuit that mirrors complaints against other Florida cities, environmental groups have filed suit against the city of Largo, alleging that it has violated the Clean Water Act by regularly discharging wastewater containing chemicals and other pollutants.
The Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, Suncoast Waterkeeper and Our Children’s Earth Foundation filed an amended complaint against the city on Aug. 17. Similar litigation alleging toxic discharges has been filed against St. Petersburg, Gulfport and Sarasota County in recent years.
City representatives have denied the allegations in the complaint, saying that Largo discharges wastewater into retention ponds, not the waters regulated by the federal Clean Water Act. City officials also report that they have invested tens of millions of dollars into improved wastewater processing.
“Plaintiffs argue the city exceeds the permit limits on pollutants that are discharged through a 30-inch discharge pipe into a series of ponds,” attorney Justin Bloom, Suncoast Waterkeeper’s founder, told the Florida Record in an email. “The discharge point is precisely identified in the permit right down to GPS coordinates, and that’s what we are enforcing. The city has regularly exceeded the limits for nitrogen, dichlorobromomethane and fecal coliform.”
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has also issued consent orders that refer to violations outlined in the complaint, Bloom said, adding that how the receiving ponds are characterized by the city is not the core concern.
“Whether or not the ponds are jurisdictional waters, or waters of the United States is irrelevant,” he said. “Suncoast Waterkeeper and the other plaintiffs believe that the city needs to comply with their permit and additionally address unpermitted sewage spills from their collection system.”
The city’s discharges contribute to the pollution levels in Tampa Bay, according to the lawsuit. The complaint seeks relief in the form of civil penalties and court fees, including $37,500 per day for any violation of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits that occurred before Nov. 2, 2015, and $55,800 per day for violations that took place after that date.
The alleged violations of the Clean Water Act have contributed to the ill health of fish and other wildlife in the region, the complaint says. The discharges have also hurt plaintiffs’ members ability to take part in recreational activities in the affected waterways, according to the lawsuit.