SUMMARY 
Industrial development came late to the Tampa Bay area. Phosphate 
mining and processing, once the economic mainstay of many bay area 
communities, began less than 100 years ago. It was not until after World 
War II that explosive population growth and enormous expansion of the 
phosphate industry occurred simultaneously. This combination demanded 
the construction of more and larger power plants to supply electricity to 
light and cool homes and businesses, as well as to meet the needs of the 
increasingly mechanized phosphate industry. The citrus processing 
industry also continued to grow during this period, and its products are 
now marketed worldwide. 
Resources in the early days, including both land and water 
resources, were considered to be limitless. Blakey (1973) in his 
overview of the prevailing mentality stated: 
Men slashed the earth in the pursuit of raw materials, and 
consideration of immediate profit dictated the relationship 
with the land. Capitalism and free enterprise rolled up 
their sleeves in a "lowest cost conspiracy" with the 
consuming public. Industry developed the resources and 
produced the goods at the lowest possible cost, and the 
public joyously bought the goods to enjoy a better life. 
Waste materials were disposed of at the lowest cost wherever it was 
convenient -- a nearby river, or directly into Tampa Bay. 
As the population of the Tampa Bay area continued to grow, the 
need for open spaces, clean water for fishing and swimming, and the 
desire to eliminate noxious odors emanating from the bay became apparent. 
Environmental controls were gradually instituted, and untreated wastes 
could no longer be dumped indiscriminately. 
Environmental impacts resulting from man’s past carelessness 
should serve as a reminder for future generations that vigilance must be 
maintained. Future needs include better maintenance of gypsum stacks at 
chemical processing plants, as evidenced by the spill of nearly 13 
million gallons of acid slime which inundated tidal marshes in March 1987 
following heavy rains. As recently as May 1988, 40,000 gallons of 
phosphoric acid were accidentally released into the Alafia River causing 
a major fish kill. In the case of power plants, entrainment losses to 
fish populations have been judged to be acceptable once units are 
equipped with fine mesh screens. The cumulative loss at plants not yet 
equipped with screens needs to be addressed. Without a better 
understanding of how these fish populations function, it is virtually 
impossible to assess the ultimate consequences of continued or increased 
entrainment of the early life stages. Much progress has been made toward 
controlling industrial impacts upon Tampa Bay, but much more work remains 
to be done. 
168 
