Welcome to the Sludge Report
We are homeowners, homeowner associations, small business owners, civic leaders, and everyday people who call Florida home. When we formed one year ago, we focused on a single common cause – fighting the adoption of a rule initiated by the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), Bureau of On-Site Sewage. This rule targeted 55,000 homeowners in Central Florida’s Wekiva Study Area (WSA) who use septic systems to treat household waste. The rule mandated that, should repairs be needed, or the home was sold, that septic systems be replaced with very complex, electrically operated, and prohibitively expensive “performance-based treatment systems (PBTS).” Although DOH research was incomplete and inconclusive that this action would provide any substantial reduction in the Wekiva River’s nitrogen levels, the aggregate initial cost of the rule to homeowners in the WSA was estimated at just under $900 million dollars. Yearly maintenance costs added at least $100 a month to the financial burden borne by homeowners, and normal family life functioning compromised by PBTS restrictions.
Through a homeowner and legislator awareness effort, we were successful in stopping the rule-adoption process, and in side-tracking a bill moving through the legislature that would have set out similar mandates. However, the nature of the battle has evolved into a much broader battle, and it will impact the entire state. This web site has been launched so that Florida’s communities and residents will be aware of the issues, and be prepared to respond effectively to make sure property rights and home values are protected and residents are treated with respect and fairness.
We maintain that, while water quality and water quantity issues are important to Florida’s future, so are Florida’s residents, businesses, and communities. Therefore, policies, legislation, and bureaucratic rules must fairly and equally consider the economic and quality of life impact each and every rule and legislation will have on the communities and residents of Florida.
The Sludge Report is dedicated common sense and common cause….providing to you timely and accurate information that will prevent unproductive and lopsided solutions and promote win-win solutions to water quality and water quantity issues. To contact us, email: