Florida has a septic tank problem. This is the correction

Florida’s Fish Wildlife Protection Committee reminds me that the red tide flower lurking in Lee County from Pineas from the southwestern part of Florida has an unfinished business to protect Florida waterways. I did it.

The report is generally low, but the medium is reported in Charlotte County and Lee County around Sanibel Island. Some people approaching the beach of Sarasota, Lee, and Cillar counties report the discomfort of breathing.

The red tide concentration means that the fish will now kill later. However, as the strength of these red tide flowers increases and we approach our coast, especially if you see a rotten and rotten fish, you can do what you can do and what you can do. I am pointing.

But why are you waiting for another disaster?

Congress is called for an annual session in March, so policy proppons should not lose the opportunity to protect our public health and our waterways. They can use what we know about the interaction between the blue -green algae in freshwater and the red tide of the salt water in the bay, especially how the former supplies the latter growth. 。

In 2019, the newly selected Governor Ron Desantis was struck by the occurrence of both the harmful blue -green algae and the red tide, and was constructed by a major environmental scientist in the state in October of that year. I have appointed a blue -green algae task force. We have issued eight recommendations to deal with water quality and public health.

In one recommendation, 2.5 million (estimated) are not restricted, and are not evaluated, dealing with “on -site sewage treatments and disposal systems”, and are generally called a purification tank scattered throughout the state.

The Governor’s Task Force stated that the purification system was “designed to manage human health risks related to the introduction of pathogens to the environment.” ) The nutrients in the drainage from these systems have contributed to the development and maintenance of harmful blue -green algae. “

They recommended that these systems function properly, to protect the environment from nutritional pollution, and to protect human health. 。

Science led to the recommendation of policy. Taskforce says “inappropriate functions and the development and implementation of the purification system aimed at identifying the inappropriate functions and/or failure systems, reducing the impact on nutritional pollution and negative environment. You can take amendments to maintain your health.

Housing that depends on the purification system must eventually be connected to the sewage treatment facility, but in the past, inspections and repairs are sufficient.

You need some context. Fifteen years ago, Congress recognized a serious threat to water quality and public health by examining a purification system and requesting repair every five years as needed.

However, before the program began in 2012, Congress abolished the requirements with the GOV approval at the time. Rick Scott. With the disappointing decision, Florida did not have the requirement for a purification system after installation. Currently, millions of septic tanks may be leaking along the coast and banks of lakes, rivers, and streams.

Thus, at first glance, instead of a seemingly ARBITRARY timetable for inspection, a purification system is required, just like other states, as in other states.

And so as not to hinder the cost of protecting the environment and public health, the parliament will provide a subsidy program to cover the cost of inspection (repaired) for low -income housing owners. Must be created. It was developed 15 years ago.

Inspection of a purification system is different from the test that recommends the best practices for housing buyers. Roof, electric system, heating and ventilation, and normal inspection of piping performed by future housing buyers.

Inspections of purification systems have a more social impact beyond buyers. There is an urgent social need to delay the growth of harmful algae flowers that cause fish killing with miserable results in the tourism economy, reducing the risk of neurological diseases such as liver cancer, respiratory disease, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. Expose through exposure to Bloom.

Inspections (and repairs as needed) are required when the property changes his hand. Real estate agents have a lot of commitments to clean water in our community as much as the most loud environmental protectionist.

The Governor’s recommendation for the blue -green algae taskforce is worthy of Congress.

Let’s start with a septic tank.

Dr. Howard L. Simon is the president of the Clean Ochechobby Waters Foundation and a member of the Carusa Water Keeper Advisory Committee. He served as an executive director of Florida’s American Freedom Union from 1997 to 2018. The article on this opinion was distributed on the invading sea website (www.theinvingsea.com). It publishes news and commentary on other environmental issues that affect climate change and florida.