FWEA Focus—Ronald R. Cavalieri

President, FWEA

Onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS), or septic systems, are currently used for wastewater disposal by approximately 30 percent of Florida’s population. With an estimated 2.6 million systems in operation (and growing), Florida represents 12 percent of the total number of septic systems within the United States.

The Florida Water Management Inventory (FLWMI), which was initially completed in November 2016 and updated in 2017, identifies and maps the location of known OSTDS in the state of Florida. The FLWMI provides geographic information system (GIS) data and maps, which facilitate statistical analyses necessary for the evaluation of nonpoint source pollutant loads. Some examples include OSTDS regional density; known OSTDS locations within established sewer service area boundaries; and OSTDS locations and density in or near biologically or geographically sensitive areas, such as spring sheds, wetlands, and other protected water bodies or groundwater recharge areas. Figure 1 shows known or likely septic system locations in Florida.

In 2020, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 712, also known as the Clean Waterways Act (CWA), now Chapter 2020-150, Laws of Florida. This legislation included a wide range of water quality protection provisions aimed at minimizing the impact of known sources of nutrient pollution and strengthening regulatory requirements. The OSTDS were one of the sources addressed by the legislation.

With respect to the OSTDS, the CWA included two important provisions: S Transfers the onsite sewage program from the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) to the Florida Department of Environmental

Protection (FDEP), which started in June 2021. The bill also created an OSTDS

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) that was charged with developing and providing recommendations to the governor and

Legislature by Jan. 1, 2022. S Requires local governments to create septic remediation plans for certain basin management action plans (BMAPs).

Provisions in the bill require that if FDEP identifies OSTDS as contributors of at least 20 percent of point source or nonpoint source nutrient pollution, or if FDEP determines remediation is necessary to achieve a total maximum daily load (TMDL), the BMAP for a nutrient TMDL must include an OSTDS remediation plan developed by the local governments, in cooperation with the FDEP.

A BMAP is a framework for water quality restoration that contains local and state commitments to reduce pollutant loading through current and future projects and strategies. The BMAPs contain a comprehensive set of solutions, such as permit limits on wastewater facilities, urban and agricultural best management practices, and conservation programs designed to achieve pollutant reductions established by a Continued on page 54

Figure 1. Map showing method of domestic wastewater disposal. Figure 2. The map shows areas with adopted basin management action plans highlighted in green, and waters not attaining standards (WNAS) in grey.