It is known that the watersheds of Alafia and smaller tributaries in the area are used as “navigable waterways” by the state of Florida at the beginning of the 19th century by European (1) settlers. At the beginning of the 19th century, before and during the Florida statehood, the Alafia River was transported daily by the early Americans. The issue mentioned earlier resolves any doubts that this river and its watersheds are defined as a navigable waterway and are considered public property for travel, leisure and trade.
A settlement called Riverview was rooted at the mouth of the Alaphia River in western central Florida. Riverview is the first registered settlement in Florida on the Alafia River in (1) 1835. The first district settled by the 19th century pioneers is close to the modern Bell Shoals Bridge near Brandon, Florida. This area of the Alafia River watershed is one of the most picturesque areas on the river. The river takes two dramatic bends that flow under the Bell Sholz Bridge, forcing the river banks to blur for thirty foot bluffs on either side of the river.
The Shools Bell Bridge was one of the great places to have fun on the river during the summer months. (2) The bridge is about twenty feet above the average water level in this particular bend of the river. The depth of the river on the bridge was usually about twelve feet. The clarity of the water in the river usually ranged from eight to ten feet of visibility, so most of the bottom of the river was not easy to see. My friends and I swim for a long day in the river and jump from the bridge into the river; that was great.
Lithia Springs was a great place to have fun, feeding millions of gallons of aquifer over the river every day. In the early and mid-70s, springs pumped millions of gallons of cool, crystal-clear aquifer water into the Alaphia River daily. Unfortunately, the phosphate industry requires so much water from local aquifers that the main spring in Li falls more than ten feet, and the small spring no longer exists, but the stones, where there was a small spring, are still visible.
The pipes down the river from Lithia Springs were awesome. Spring was a great place to start a ride through the pipes, because about half a mile down the river there was a small set of rapids that were dumped into a vast underground cave. We used to run pipes in Lithia Springs and sounded the river for about three hours and ended the Bell Shoals Bridge.
When one passes through the Bell Shoals Bridge, the river becomes quite deep and slows down to crawl. The area is ideal for slow drift in a cool, shaded river, relaxing and exciting some rays. The pipes from the Scholls bell to Riverview take about three hours, but the trip is worth it. During the voyage, a family of manatees, alligators, various water snakes and other straw tubers was often seen.
The river empties its contents at the mouth of the Tampa River in the western central Florida of mangrove islands, sandbanks and oyster beds west of Riverview. This area occupies one of the most critical waters and waters in Florida. The region contains significant environmental treasures, such as breeding grounds for many species of fish, shellfish, shrimp, oysters, shellfish, manatee and the like.
Historically, the Riverview phosphate plant causes toxic waste emissions that generate miles of dead zones in the Alaphia River and the mouth of the Tampa River. Representatives of the phosphate industry call these massacres and dead zones simply "bad luck." “Dead Zones” can last for years depending on the amount of verses released into the environment from phosphate objects.
However, the phosphate industry wanted to build a phosphate plant built at the mouth of the Alafiya River at the mouth of the Tampa Bay. Interestingly, Tampa Bay is the largest estuary and is environmentally critical for trading on the west coast of Florida. The Tampa estuary is a navigable waterway by definition, but Florida’s elected officials “decided to allow” phosphate industry officials to change navigable waterways for the construction of a phosphate plant. Historically, the EPA has said: "The phosphate industry in Florida is the worst environmental hazard in the state."
Why, in Florida, elected officials “allowed” workers in the phosphate industry to build a phosphate plant in the best environmentally hazardous ecosystems on the west coast of Florida? This area annually brings in billions of dollars from tourism. Unfortunately, officials from the phosphate industry are not environmentally sensitive and continue to pollute the Riverview area, as well as Tampa Bay and the Alafia watershed.
Historically, the Riverview Phosphate Plant is the place where many of the worst environmental disasters occurred. Unfortunately, Riverview Phosphorus Plant is one of the largest in Florida with a stack of phosphogypsum with a height of over two hundred feet and occupies about one square mile. This "stop" is a radioactive phosphogypsum cell, full of toxic acid sediment. Millions of gallons of lethal sludge fill a stack of sulfuric acid and other deadly fluids. The large surface of the pit produces a poisonous sulphate aerosol, constantly polluting the air inside and around the plant “day after day”. Poisons are transported until the wind does not resolve, sometimes for kilometers.
Why will Florida's elected officials allow this type of industrial environmental harm to continue to occur in such a critical ecosystem from an environmental point of view? For reference, phosphate industry officials donate millions of dollars annually for “access” to both political parties in Florida, this is no secret.
reference
1. European settlement | Excursion on the river Alafia. - swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/watersheds/alafia/settlement.
2. Bridges of the State Park Alafia River, Florida -singletracks.com/blog/mtb-trails/the-bridges-of-alafia-river-state-park-florida/
