Miami-Dade replacing septic systems

Miami-Dade County, Florida – Approximately 120,000 septic tank systems are still in use in Miami-Dade, and 9,000 are vulnerable to compromise or failure under current groundwater conditions.

On Thursday, Miami-Dade County broke ground on a multi-year program they say will provide sanitary sewer service to thousands of residents with septic tank systems.

According to the county “As sea-level rise increases, this number will grow to approximately 13,500 by 2040,” the county said in a news release. “Compromised and failing septic tank systems can cause public health risks, environmental impacts, and negative impacts on private properties.”

340 homes will be connected with lateral sewer lines on already failing septic tanks that are spewing human waste into the groundwater and bay.

On average it will cost $7,500 for residents, a fee they will have to cover, but the county has funding to help them connect.

“Everybody, once we’ve brought in the laterals, is obligated to connect, and we are going house by house to see who is eligible for assistance,” Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. “And we also are making other funds available through low-interest loans and other things that will help people connect.”

The program is estimated to take many years and cost an estimated $4 billion to complete.

“It is absolutely urgent,” said Roy Coley, director of Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer. “Everyone has seen the decline of the health of the bay. Everyone has seen fish kills. … These property owners who can’t flush a toilet when it’s raining or take a shower, it’s urgent they get their needs met now.”