Santa Rosa County Septic to Sewer Conversion
Implementing Organization
State of Florida
Overview
DWH Project Funding
$22,797,000
Known Leveraged Funding
$0
Funding Organization
Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (NRDA)
Funding Program
Natural Resource Damage Assessment NRDA
Details
Project Category
Environmental
Project Actions
Water Quality Restoration and Maintenance
Targeted Resources
Wetlands/Marshes/Estuaries
Project Description
The project is being led by Santa Rosa County and will improve water quality in the Pensacola Bay watershed by connecting homes currently served by septic systems to central wastewater treatment systems. Specifically, the project will: • Analyze existing data to characterize and prioritize septic to sewer conversion areas. • Decommission residential septic tanks and replace them with connections to the municipal sewage system. Up to 900 residences will be converted from septic to sewer. Septic tanks will be replaced with gravity sewer systems or low-pressure grinder pumps and piped into each city’s municipal centralized sewage transmission and connection system. • Monitor waterways prior to and following the septic tank conversion. In Santa Rosa County, approximately 47,000 residential septic tank systems are in use, 60 percent of which are single-family homes. Historical reports indicate that many of the septic systems are not actively managed, permitted, and/or maintained, with as many as 40 percent of septic tank systems poorly maintained. Improper and irregular maintenance as well as aging septic systems may generate system failures, fostering bacterial and viral pathogen growth. Solids may migrate into drain fields and clog septic systems, potentially contaminating groundwater with pathogens and nitrates. Florida has a relatively high water table, with most septic tanks sitting only a few feet above the table. Untreated wastewater discharges disease-causing pathogens and nitrates into coastal waters, causing potential health concerns for the local populace (if close to a drinking water well), increasing algal growth, and lower...click on "More Info" link below
Contact
Pearce Barrett(850) 245-2106
pearce.barrett@floridadep.gov
Project Website
None
For official trustee information regarding the Deepwater Horizon NRDA, including information regarding the NRDA process and the status of projects, see https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/