BOARD MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING AGENDA MONDAY MARCH 14, :30 4:00 P.M. COMMISSION CHAMBERS

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1 BOARD MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING AGENDA MONDAY MARCH 14, :30 4:00 P.M. COMMISSION CHAMBERS 1. FGCU S LONG RANGE PLANS PRESENTER: Wilson Bradshaw, FGCU President TIME REQUIRED: 30 Minutes 2. ON-SITE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL SYSTEMS/SEPTIC SYSTEMS LEGISLATION AND ALTERNATIVES PRESENTER: Roland Ottolini, Natural Resources TIME REQUIRED: 45 Minutes 3. HANSON STREET EXTENSION-CONSERVATION 20/20 PROPERTY PRESENTER: David Loveland, Transportation TIME REQUIRED: 15 Minutes BOARD COMMENTS/DISCUSSION ADJOURN THIS AGENDA AND BACKUP MAY BE OBTAINED FROM OR FROM THE PUBLIC RESOURCES OFFICE (239) The Management And Planning Meeting Is Televised Live On Comcast Cable Channel 97.

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4 Roland Ottolini, Director Lee County Division of Natural Resources Management & Planning Meeting March 14, 2011

5 Septic System Legislation 2010 Legislative Session SB 550 Springs Protection Bill included Septic System provisions: Require septic tank owners to pump & inspect systems every five years. FDOH would enforce compliance statewide. Failing tanks must be repaired or replaced & brought up to the new inspection standards by a date certain. Failure to comply would result in $500/day fines + possible misdemeanor charges. Establishes grants for low income households for repairs/replacements Legislative Session several bills coming through committees to repeal SB 550. Other bills being worked through committee currently.

6 Lee County s Mandate Clean Water Act Lee Co is required by EPA & DEP to maintain a level of service protective of water quality and human health. Lee County Comprehensive Plan POLICY addresses sewer infrastructure expansion to enhance this level of service where and when central sewer is available. We need a plan to address areas that do not currently and may not ever have sewer service. (e.g. determined by low density zoning DRGR, Buckingham Rural Community Preserve).

7 Does Lee County need some Septic System regulation? The entire county is not likely to be sewered Currently no requirement to maintain and fix problems Septic systems that are not maintained will eventually fail Many septic system owners not aware of what they have and how it works Cost to maintain about $100/yr.

8 Do Septic Systems Really Cause Nutrient & Bacterial Pollution? Yes, if they are not properly designed, d installed and maintained. The following ow studies have different e research methods and soil conditions but a common base line condition; No inspection or maintenance requirements FDEP Wekiva Basin study demonstrated t d septic tank N contribution to groundwater at 26% as compared to other sources in the basin. Charlotte County study demonstrated dseptic tank contribution consistently at low tide and higher concentrations of traceable nutrients and bacteria in higher density neighborhoods.

9 What Constitutes Failure? Fil System does not function in a sanitary manner: Loss of flush, or discharge of untreated or partially treated wastewater onto ground surface, into ground water, into surface water (64E 6.001, FAC) Raw Sewage

10 Should We Use Septic Systems If They Can Cause Pollution? Yes, if there are guidelines to follow to prevent pollution: Conventional septic systems should be used in low density areas (2 units:1 acre or less) with the bottom of the drain field at least 2 above the wet season water table for adequate filtration. Alternative technologies such as addition of carbon sources in the drain field for enhanced denitrification and tank aeration for drain field remediation should be implemented in older systems and in areas of medium to high density. All h ld b l i i d All systems should be on a regular inspection and maintenance schedule to ensure proper function!

11 We do not manage Septic Systems now. Is it really a problem? We have TMDLs in Hendry Creek and Tidal Caloosahatchee for Nutrients & Fecal Coliform. In basins that have no TMDL there is either a verified impairment or TMDLs are pending for one or both pollutants. Lee Co DOH and NPDES inspectors respond to septic system failure complaints regularly; per year. We do not know how many failures go unreported because homeowner are not required to report. Lee Co has averaged 318 reported septic system repairs per year for the last decade. Failure can be direct surface or groundwater discharge but may not cause back up inside the house. Bottom line: If a septic system is failing and the toilet still flushes is there an incentive to spend money to fix a failing system?

12 Other benefits to managing Septic Systems? If managed, Septic Systems can be a tool to phase waste water treatment upgrades into slow growth areas. E.g. Lehigh Acres has ¼ acre and ½ acre platted areas that are very sparsely populated. Septic System management or cluster systems could be a good alternative ti to sewering until density/capacity is available to support sewer infrastructure. Proactive Inventory & Inspection Can Help Us; Prioritize where sewer expansion programs can be implemented and where long term management & alternative onsite upgrades should be planned. Identify or rule out problem areas for regional capital project planning. Justify large scale federal public funding assistance for Septic System upgrade programs. b7

13 Slide 9 b7 while i like OSTDS to be consistent, use of septic systems may be more easily followed by the audience. bob, 2/28/2011

14 Per Household Cost Comparison *National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project 2004 & Cape Coral Alternative Sewer Technologies Report 2006 $16, $14, $12, OSTDS (Advanced) $10, OSTDS (Conventional) $8, Sewer (Vacuum) $6, Sewer (Gravity) $4, Sewer (Grinder) $2, $0.00 Capital Cost *Comparison of capital costs per household to replace/upgrade OSTDS or hook up to available sewer infrastructure. Many OSTDS systems will not have to be replaced if a management program is implemented. Advanced treatment units are an upgrade. $1, $1, $ $ $ $ $ Operations & Maintenance OSTDS (Advanced) OSTDS (Conventional) Sewer (Vacuum) Sewer (Gravity) Sewer (Grinder) *Combined annual O&M costs and administrative fees for OSTDS management compared sewer O&M fees and debt recovery costs per household. Annual sewer fees assume sewer service only ($35/mo) estimated maintenance costs and debt recovery assessment for connecting 2282 households at a loan rate of 5% per year for 30 years.

15 What are the Alternatives? Status Quo We still have to spend millions to identify and treat pollution sources to comply with TMDLs. Regional WQ projects are several times more expensive than pollution prevention projects. Mandate Inspections & Corrective Actions Improve septic system function > Prevent pollution > Get credit toward TMDL compliance AND save money. Follow State lead or draft county ordinance. Sewer it all Very expensive & no incentives in current economy, Not feasible in low density areas, Future expansion in low density zoned areas (e.g. Buckingham Rural Community Preserve) will not likely happen due to logistics and expense.

16 Next Steps Engage the Legislature to support Septic System mandated Inventory, Inspection & Maintenance Program. If the State will not mandate such a program should the BOCC take a proactive role to implement these mandates in Lee County? Staff has collected data & has expertise to move forward at BOCC direction. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. There are models in existence. it

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