TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A federal judge in Florida has ruled that specific limits on sewage, manure and fertilizer contamination in state waters must take effect March 6.
    
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle's ruling Saturday in Tallahassee ended years of delays in setting those limits.
    
The pollutants feed algae blooms on lakes and streams. The blooms can cause health problems in humans and can be fatal to wildlife.
    
Earthjustice filed a Clean Water Act federal lawsuit in 2008 on behalf of environmental groups seeking limits on the pollutants in Florida.
    
Hinkle's ruling upholds limits set in 2009 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The agency said the limits were necessary to meet Clean Water Act requirements.
    
The federal limits replace a state rule requiring studies of algae blooms but no preventive measures.