Septic Tanks Can Be Dangerous to Your Health

Abstract

^ ~ Journal, I don't recall a discussion of the significance o of septic tanks for public health. Yet in certain areas of the country this method of sewage disposal has aroused serious concern and some passion. Septic tanks are Wev99 necessary in many regions where sewage treatment plants are not practical because of low population density. In addition, many urban communities rely on them far more frequently than most people realize. For example, in the city of Miami, 40% of the residents are dependent on septic tanks. This occurs also in many of the most prestigious suburbs of the United States, especially those developed with a good deal of acreage allotted to each residence. In the state of Florida alone there are close to 2,ooo,ooo septic tanks, and whole communities are being built with as many as I00,000 of these units covering an area of 25,000 to 30,000 acres. The first policy issue that this suggests is the effect of the demand for new housing on the need for sewage disposal facilities. This is particularly evident in states like Florida where the population is growing at the rate of I,ooo new residents each day, and where it is swollen further each winter by the influx of visitors. The second policy issue stems from the fact that the land in Florida is surrounded by and underlaid with water. This is true of many states which pride themselves on the availability of waterfront property. I have encountered septic tank problems along the Chesapeake Bay and the Tennessee Valley Authority lakes. A similar situation exists up and down the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as in waterfront communities elsewhere. Florida's water table is close to the surface and this presents a serious