[Wobs]

While here in the UK, we could smugly say that we have sewage treatment for just about all discharges to the sea and waterways, its only fairly recently that this has been the case. We've had raw sewage pumped into the sea around the UK for years, and in places, has had a noticeable impact on the water quality. This can be seen by the improvements in water quality that has been seen since treatment has improved.

There were places where bathing water quality was extremely poor, and this was partly down to the way the sea behaved, how the currents worked, and where the wastes were taken. This, I expect to be a similar case with the Florida coast. While I don't know the exact geography of the coast, there will no doubt be places where discharges will get carried out to deep water, and places where it impacts much greater on the local beaches and wildlife.

But before we all start wailing about how awful it is that sewage is dumped into the environment, take a minute to remind yourself that improving sewage treatment will result in smaller fish being caught. I'm not saying we shouldn't improve such treatments, but a sense of perspective is important. And yes I'm sure there are areas off Florida that are sensitive to such impacts.

So when you read that 300million gallons of sewage are pumped into the sea, try to get a sense of perspective. No doubt they need improvements if all they're doing is some basic screening, but comparing it with an oil spill for example is a bit silly.