A resolution to establish a Septic to Sewer trust fund of at least $3 million in the County’s 2022-2023 budget has been passed by the Board of County Commissioners.
Septic tanks pollute our water and are a major source of contamination entering Biscayne Bay. Removing our County’s more than 120,000 septic tanks is necessary to protect our waterways and public health, but hooking up to a sewer line, even when nearby, can be expensive. Additionally, many property owners may not have the financial resources to connect their properties to the sanitary sewer system.
Commissioner Rebeca Sosa sponsored a resolution to establish a Septic-to-Sewer Trust Fund and an associated Septic-to-Sewer assistance program. This resolution was passed unanimously and will ensure that at least $3 million in the County’s 2022-2023 budget will help financially constrained private property owners convert their properties from septic to sewer.
With sea-level rise, septic systems will become more hazardous to human health and waterways, flooding tanks from above and below, rendering them ineffective. Legislation to financially assist our communities in connecting to sewer systems will benefit public health by removing the source of raw sewage that carries pathogenic bacteria and viruses that can back into homes, enter floodwaters, or eventually reach the Bay.
Learn more about septic tanks and how they pollute here.
Make your voice heard on other Biscayne Bay action alerts here.
Originally published at https://www.miamiwaterkeeper.org/bcc_unanimously_adopts_septic_trust_fund