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Expert: North Fork water quality shows mixed improvements but persistent bacterial and phosphorus problems
Summary
Dr. Nancy Gassman told the Fort Lauderdale Marine Advisory Board that nutrient loads fell after wastewater discharges stopped in the 1980s, but bacterial compliance (enterococci) and phosphorus remain chronic problems; molecular source testing often finds low human markers and high dog markers, and the city is pursuing targeted inspections and additional molecular testing.
Dr. Nancy Gassman, an environmental scientist who presented to the Fort Lauderdale Marine Advisory Board on Dec. 4, said long-term monitoring shows clear nutrient improvements in parts of the North Fork of the New River after wastewater treatment plants stopped discharging in the 1980s, but bacterial compliance and phosphorus remain concerns.
Gassman outlined county quarterly monitoring from 1973 to 1997 and modern results through 2025. "When we stopped discharging treated effluent into the river, nitrogen fell below the standard," she said, adding that dissolved oxygen improved while phosphorus did not consistently meet benchmarks. She noted…
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