I am one of your constituents, a homeowner now impacted by a legislative mandate called the Springs Protection Act passed in 2016. While I support the need for clean water, I believe that legislators have not provided the needed oversight of the Basin Management Action Plan developed by Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Health. As a result, I have been placed under a mandate to give up my septic system. This mandate is not based on science. Repeated testing of legally permitted, conventional septic systems show them no better or worse than the advanced electro-mechanical solutions offered to me as a solution. These new advanced systems will force me to lose my ability to shelter in place during significant power outages. The complexity of these advanced systems forces changes in lifestyle that other homeowners on sewers do not have to contend with. Their poor reputation and reliability lowers home values and will cause my family financial harm.
FDEP made promises to homeowners that state funding would be available to help pay for the BMAP mandates. If you are going to leave the questionable BMAP mandates in place, the only acceptable solution is to provide my community funding for “Gravity Fed Sewers.” I ask that you stop listening to the industry lobbyists, on this issue. You are my elected official, representing me. State funding is critical to making this problem go away. There are 2.7 million conventional septic systems in this State. That is over 5 million voters. WE WILL NOT FORGET HOW THIS ISSUE IS RESOLVED.
