South FL Transfers $1 Billion Clean Up Liability to St. Johns River Watershed

from Lisa Rinaman, your St. Johns Riverkeeper

Florida produces more than 385,000 dry tons of sewage sludge every year and a disproportionate share of this sh!# is dumped in the Upper St. Johns River Basin.

In Florida, most sewage sludge is classified as either Class B, which receives the minimum level of treatment, or the more highly treated Class AA. Florida disposes more than 84,000 dry tons of Class B sewage sludge on land.

Class B Sewage sludge (aka biosolids) is highly concentrated human sewage co-mingled with industrial waste that is a byproduct of wastewater treatment. While sewage sludge can be used for fertilizer on farmland, it can also contain heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and forever chemicals – including PFAS, which is known to cause cancer.

More than two-thirds of the state’s Class B sewage sludge has been disposed of on farmland along the banks of the St. Johns since this harmful practice was effectively banned in South Florida due to significant pollution run-off.

Not surprisingly, the St. Johns River Water Management District found a significant increase in nutrient pollution throughout the Upper St. Johns that coincides with the increase in land application in the St. Johns River Watershed. This uptick in pollution undermines downstream efforts and significant taxpayer investment to reduce nutrient pollution and resulting toxic algae outbreaks.

This transfer of South Florida’s pollution also dumps associated clean-up costs on counties within the St. Johns River Watershed.

An economic study from the Balmoral Group for St. Johns Riverkeeper and the Public Trust for Conservation estimated at least $1.12 billion in potential clean-up costs from the land disposal of sewage sludge in the headwaters of the St. Johns.

Florida’s sewage sludge regulatory framework protects some waters at the expense of others – mostly at the expense of the St. Johns River!

Permitted transfers of concentrated human waste from urban areas are being sent to rural areas of the state along with the resulting potential health risks and environmental impacts.

Clearly, Florida needs a better, fairer approach to sewage sludge management that minimizes environmental impacts and reduces risk transfer from one watershed to another.

Where do we go from here?

A good start would be to truly assess environmental risk by monitoring surface and groundwater adjacent to sewage sludge sites and testing all sewage sludge for PFAS to ensure Florida’s farms, waterways and citizens are protected from these cancer-causing chemicals.

Florida’s leaders must transition to a more environmentally and economically responsible system for managing sewage sludge and Florida’s growing volume of human waste.

It’s past time for action.

Ask Your Legislator to:

Support Comprehensive Reform of Florida’s Sewage Sludge (aka Biosolids) Policy
Monitor surface water and groundwater adjacent to sewage sludge sites to protect our waterways and Floridians.
Test sewage sludge for PFAS before it is disposed of on farmland.
Incentivize new technologies to sustainably manage Florida’s growing volume of sewage.

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