Welcome to

A bill to repeal mandatory septic tank inspections died in the Florida legislature, but some last minute maneuvering by legislative leaders froze the inspections for one more year. The calls to end the inspections are coming from tank owners who say the cost is too high. As Whitney Ray tells us, water quality expects say the longer the state puts off the inspections the more sever the impact to our environment.

Septic tank inspectors say it’s common sense to pump and test a tank at least once every five years, but once the state mandated inspections the backlash was swift.

A bill repealing the inspections died in the legislative process, so influential lawmakers stuck language in the budget delaying inspections for another year. Former septic tank inspector, turned water quality expert Anthony Guido says the delay puts Florida’s waterways at risk.

“Postponing for another year taking this action which will improve environmental quality and public health,” said Guido.

There are an estimated 2.7 million septic tanks in Florida, many are more than 30 years old. And no one knows how many have been inspected.

Water Resources Engineer John Buss says faulty tanks can pose a major risk to Florida’s waterways, because they leak nitrates into rivers and kill sensitive plant and animal life.

“Nitrate is an active fertilizer and as it comes out of the spring, the water is rich in nutrients and you get a lot of growth of aquatic weeds which can chock the spring,” said Buss.

To pump and inspect a septic tank costs about six hundred dollars. Opponents of the mandatory inspections, mainly septic tank owners, say the mandate is a tax.

Faulty septic tanks can also harm drinking water, especially water from wells. It’s very rare, but when the concentration of nitrates gets too high babies can get what’s known as blue baby syndrome, which can be fatal.