Naples City Council pushes forward with septic tank removal program

The Naples City Council wants all homes in the city's utilities service district to switch from septic tanks to city sewer within the next eight years in an effort to improve water quality.

Scientists have identified leaky septic tanks as a contributor to environmental disasters like blue-green algae outbreaks and red tide that plagued Southwest Florida waters last year.

A 2006 report identified seven areas in the city's utilities service district that are on septic tanks. The city has already connected one of those areas — 50 properties east of Goodlette-Frank Road, north of Bembury Drive and south of 14th Avenue North — to its sewer system and is connecting the Rosemary Heights and Gulf Acres communities to the sewer system, as well.

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There are approximately 900 properties in the remaining four areas between U.S. 41 N. and Goodlette-Frank that have septic tanks, Utilities Director Bob Middleton told the council during its workshop Monday. They include 104 properties between Milano Drive and Pompei Lane, 469 properties between North Alahambra Circle and Morningside Lane, 332 properties between Solana Road and Cypress Woods Drive, and 32 properties along Creech Road.

Removing the septic tanks from those properties and connecting them to the sewer system will cost approximately $14 million, Middleton said.

The council's decision to move forward with the septic tank removal program comes at a time when septic tanks are receiving attention at the state level. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, who recently proposed banning smoking on public beaches, has introduced a bill that, among other things, would:

• Require inspections of septic systems at least once every five years.
• Require owners to repair or pump out failing systems.
• Update the state’s database of septic systems.
• Develop minimum state standards for a functional system.
• Develop a 10-year county-by-county implementation plan giving priority to areas where water quality is especially vulnerable.

The Legislature passed a law in 2010 requiring septic tank owners to get an inspection every five years to ensure they weren’t polluting, but legislators repealed the inspections two years later after pushback from homeowners with septic tanks.

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State Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, the incoming Senate majority leader, is a supporter of Gruters’ bill.

Gov. Ron DeSantis also included septic tank cleanup as a priority in his executive order last week that seeks $2.5 billion in the next four years to combat red tide and blue-green algae blooms and to restore the Everglades. 

The city received a $1.6 million grant from the South Florida Water Management District for the two septic tank replacement projects that are underway. They are estimated to cost a combined $5.8 million.

The city also applied for grant money from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection but was unsuccessful, Middleton told the council during its workshop Monday.

That "caused a little irritation with us since this is the second time we've applied for that grant," Middleton said. "And with recommendations from DEP staff on what would increase our chances, we still were turned down out of a $20 million budget."

The grant would have made it cheaper for homeowners to abandon their septic tanks and connect to the sewer system, Middleton explained.

Without that grant money, he recommended that the council allocate $400,000 to help offset the cost to homeowners in the Rosemary Heights and Gulf Acres communities. The council will later decide if it wants to continue allocating funds on an annual basis to help offset the costs for homeowners in the remaining four areas.

The City Council initially rejected moving forward with the septic tank removal program in the Rosemary Heights and Gulf Acres communities because it would cost homeowners more than $20,000. However, the council approved the project in October after additional funding from Collier County and the Big Cypress Basin reduced the cost to $13,300.

Homeowners in those communities will now pay approximately $983 annually for 20 years. That charge will be included in their property tax bill. Property owners can also elect to defer all assessments for 20 years or until the property is transferred to a new owner.

Middleton said he hopes the city will be able to get financial support for the remaining areas of the project from the state Legislature, thereby driving down costs for homeowners.

"Septic to sewer conversion is a hot topic right now, so now's our time that we can move forward on this and hopefully get funding to reduce the special assessment costs," he said. "That's what keeps everybody interested, is 'What's the bottom line for my pocketbook?'"

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New City Manager Charles Chapman, who's said that ridding the city of septic tanks is one of his biggest priorities, recommended that the city work with the county's state legislative delegation to establish a funding bill for the project.

"That way it's voted on one time, it's adopted into the state budget, and then it has recurring funding automatically over the life cycle of the five to eight years, depending on what that projected construction timeline would entail," Chapman said. 

Councilwoman Linda Penniman said the city will have competition for state funding as other cities look to replace septic tanks.

"There are 90,000 (septic tanks) on the east coast, so you know, they're probably going to be (in front of the state Legislature) squawking quite a bit, as well," she said. "I do think we need to have somebody who's constantly working on this in order to get the job done."

Councilman Terry Hutchison agreed.

"If we don't ask for the money, the answer's no," he said. "But I really like this idea of getting this sewered and getting out of these septic tanks. It's the right thing to do."