ATLANTIC WASTELAND
6/3/2008 12:23:27 PM by Wave Editorial Staff
Imagine diving into 300 million gallons of sewage every time you take a dip in the ocean or go for a swim. Reality check: There’s no need to image such a scenario, all you need to do is head over to the tropical Atlantic waters off South Florida’s pristine coastline, which gets pumped with 450 Olympic-size pools’ worth of sewage every day from six plants located throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Yuck!
The good news is that environmental groups are currently working with lawmakers to use the massive wastewater to east Florida’s ongoing water crisis, as opposed to continuing to pump it offshore. “What we’ve been doing for 20 years is dumping all our waste into the mighty Gulf Stream and sending it off to make it somebody else’s problem,” says T.J. Marshall of the Surfrider Foundation. “We have a dirty little secret, and we need to fix that.”
Recently, The Senate Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation unanimously approved a bill that would eventually bring an end to the dumping and put that wastewater toward other uses. Under the bill (SB 1302), utilities would have to submit plans to stop the dumping by 2013, and the sewage would have to meet stricter treatment standards by 2018. The ultimate goal would be to eliminate nearly all sewage dumping by 2025. Staff for the Environment & Natural Resources Council is working on a similar bill in the House. “The wastewater [can serve as] a very valuable resource,” says the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Burt Saunders, (R-Naples). “That 300 million gallons a day should be used for irrigation purposes and other reuse.” These uses include lawn watering, replacing groundwater and improving wetlands.
But, experts agree, eliminating all this sewage dumping in the Atlantic may not come cheaply. Phil Coram, a deputy director with the Department of Environmental Protection says a recent University of Florida study found that eliminating all dumping would cost an estimated $2.8 billion, meaning an increase in utility bills of anywhere between $7 and $40 a month. “Counties might be able to avoid that cost, however, by treating their wastewater to a high level and putting it back into the groundwater system,” assures Coram.
Whatever the cost, it seems most Floridians will be willing to shell out a little extra cash to have the freedom to enjoy the area’s world-class beaches without having to liken the experience to splashing around in a used — and unflushed — public toilet.