Miami-Dade's expansion of water treatment plant could mean changes for septic tank owners
MIAMI - "I'm tired of the septic tank," said Monica Arenas, who does not look forward to going out to her backyard when she starts seeing water around her septic tank.
"I have to pay a company every month to come here and clean it."
According to Arenas, that is $300 monthly.
Septic systems process wastewater from toilets, sinks, and showers.
Not every home has them, but the ones who do, can face big problems.
"As you can see, it's now flooded, the water comes inside of the house," she said.
But the concern is there for more than just individual homeowners.
"We want to see septic tanks connected to the sewer system," Roy Coley, director of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department.
This week, they broke ground on a wastewater treatment plant expansion.
The idea, more treatment plants will reduce septic tank use and eventually stop septic tank runoff from ending up in Biscayne Bay.
"What we're doing is making it possible that septic tanks can be converted," said Coley.
He said the immediate goal is to get rid of septic tanks like the one at Monica Arenas's house.
She lives close to Biscayne Bay.
"When it rains here, it's horrible. You can see human feces coming out," said Arenas, begging Miami-Dade County for an immediate change.
"There are 120,000 septic tanks in Miami-Dade, the Biscayne Bay task force who examined the health of the bay identified the septic tank leakage throughout this county as a primary contributor to nutrient pollution in the bay," said Coley.
According to Arenas, paying to remove the septic tank would cost her a minimum of $7,000, but if the county does it would be at no cost.
"I am tired of it. I don't want to deal with this anymore, I just want to be connected to the (sewage) system."
