Septic tanks do a good job when they are installed correctly, properly maintained and properly used. This would mean complete construction inspections, periodic cleaning out of the septic tanks and assurance that chemicals, solids and other harmful materials aren't flushed into the tanks. It would also mean that, as Collier County recently warned, owners cut back on drinking water use during heavy rains since this could cause septic systems to malfunction. Septic tanks also have a limited life with some studies showing 20 years as a reasonable life. When septic systems fail, the results are bad. When they are adjacent to pristine waterways, like on Marco Island, and fail, the results could be catastrophic.

We know from recent surveys that over 95 percent of septic system owners on Marco Island do not maintain their systems. There is also no reliable way to determine if the systems were installed correctly or if owners (or renters) avoided flushing harmful materials into the tanks. We just have no practical way of determining whether a septic system is in good shape or failing. No way to determine how efficient the drainage fields are in filtering out pollutants before they enter the water table. When septic tanks get to a certain age they all start going bad - a sleeping giant. The end results of a failing system, however, are clear. Severe pollution of our waterways.
We just can't avoid the history of septic tanks installed adjacent to waterways. Some 31 states have concluded that "failing septic systems are a major source of groundwater pollution." In Florida, many counties have experienced serious waterway contamination from failed septic systems. The network of canals in Citrus County became polluted from failing septic systems. The canals of the Keys have been found to contain live viruses and Hepatitis A, resulting from failed septic systems and concluded that "canals are really neighborhood drain fields for septic tanks."

A major study in the Florida Water Resources Journal concluded that "throughout Florida, septic tanks have proven to be problematic in coastal areas of high concentration of septic tanks." The study concluded that failing systems sneak up on an area since such systems work well when the overall water table is low, such as in the winter months, but begin to fail when the water table is high in the summer months and many residents are not here to "sense (or smell) the problem."

Closer to home - the Naples Conservancy had detected a high concentration of fecal matter from failing septic tanks as a major source of pollution to Naples Bay. As such, Collier County installed a central sewer system and eliminated some 10,000 septic tanks a few years ago. The City of Naples, understanding the importance of eliminating septic tanks has all properties serviced by a central sewer system.

Getting even closer to home - a small study done some years ago on Marco Island, showed indications of a "perfect correlation" between fecal counts and septic tanks. In those areas where septic tanks had been eliminated, the fecal count in the adjacent waterways was "significantly lower" than in those areas adjacent to septic tanks where "fecal counts were just too numerous to count."

It is true that, to date, our periodic testing of Marco Island's waterways has not shown any serious fecal matter problem. Based on this, there are those who would suggest that our city simply wait until there is a problem. They would suggest that our people pay the $10,000 to replace their septic systems when they fail and not be concerned about the slow, cancerous process of waterway leaching, until it becomes a "big problem." When it does become a real problem, we can be assured that every environmental organization will be down here on Marco and there will be demands to clean up "our" mess and install central sewer systems. At that time, however, the cost of clean up will be significant and take years, the cost of a new central sewer system will cost much more than today's costs and the nationally advertised publicity and the reality of unhealthy waterways will significantly lower property values on our island. Our community lives on the quality of its pristine coastal environment.

Your city is proposing a very pro-active program of installing a wastewater treatment plant and eliminating all septic systems. Although there are many legitimate reasons for the high costs of a sewer system on Marco Island, we all hope that, by efficient final designs, government grants and subsidies and competitive bidding, these costs will be reduced.

Unlike other parts of Florida that are expanding their sewer systems, we must spend some $38 million to increase our waste treatment capability - almost 40 percent of the overall costs of the system. Even at the present maximum cost estimate of about $20,000 per house, however, it is a project we must proceed with. If so desired, the city plans on financing these costs over a 20-year period with annual payments of about $2,000 on the tax bill.
It is hopeful that some local banks will develop and offer low cost home equity loans to enable pre-payment of the assessment and much lower annual costs. Pre-payment results in a 6 percent discount on the total cost and a fully tax-deductible home equity loan package could reduce annual out-of-pocket costs for the system to only $850 per year.

I, for one, will do it this way and consider it a worthwhile insurance program to avoid the need for periodic costly maintenance of my septic systems, eliminate the possibility of a high-cost replacement of a failed septic system and, most importantly, assure that my property values will not be drastically reduced by pollution of our waterways. Just the opposite will happen.
As Sanibel Island recently concluded when they began their septic tank elimination program: "We expect that property values will significantly increase when we remove these septic systems."

Our people know the damage septic systems can cause. Surveys, both by the city and private organizations, have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Islanders want septic tanks eliminated. We pay thousands of dollars a year for insurance to cover us from wind, flood and fire. This is for things that will probably never happen. Elimination of our septic systems and the great threat they pose to our way of living is well worth the "insurance" premiums this program will cost. This, for something history says will eventually happen.