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The ordinance has been modified since the public meeting with the City <br />of Vero Beach to answer certain of their concerns. The present <br />ordinance does nothing more than prohibit land_spreading in the unincor- <br />porated area. It does not prohibit land spreading in the incorporated <br />area nor does it prohibit transferring sludge out of county for land <br />spreading. It also does not prohibit construction of sludge and septage <br />disposal plants similar to that operated by the County. <br />REQUESTED ACTION: Staff recommends adoption of the ordinance. <br />Attorney Vitunac reported that the County received a <br />congratulatory letter from the Department of Environmental <br />Protection (DEP) stating that the DEP officials wish more counties <br />would pass ordinances that prohibit spreading treated septage and <br />sludge on land. <br />Utility Services Director Terry Pinto gave a history of the <br />County's sludge treatment facility, which he reported is available <br />for use by the public under a non-discriminatory rate structure. <br />Director Pinto indicated that the County has experienced problems <br />with illegal dumping of septage and sludge over the years, creating <br />a major environmental hazard. Some of the illegal dumping was <br />intentional and some was accidental. In some cases the dumping was <br />done in permitted areas, but the sludge did not meet the standards <br />that were required under the permit. There were occasions where <br />haulers got stuck and had no alternative but to dump the septage or <br />sludge at the site where the truck was stuck. Director Pinto <br />concluded that it is difficult to monitor the quality of the <br />septage and sludge, and it is almost impossible to prevent dumping <br />in places where the dumping is illegal because the water table is <br />too high. For these reasons, staff recommends that all land <br />spreading of septage and sludge be prohibited in the unincorporated <br />areas of the County. He stated that documented cases of illegal <br />dumping are on file in the Utilities Department. <br />Mike Galanis, Director of Environmental Control, reported that <br />the County continues to have problems with illegal dumping of <br />septage and sludge, although the situation has improved. Sludge <br />and septage come in from other counties, and haulers have brought <br />sludge into this county from as far away as Tampa. Mr. Galanis <br />explained that sludge comes from sewage treatment plants. We have <br />had problems with some of the smaller, privately -owned facilities <br />in the past. Most of the sludge in this community is domestic <br />waste, but sludge from other communities may contain industrial <br />waste. Septage comes from septic tanks. There are about 20,000 <br />septic tanks in the county, about 3,000 of which are pumped every <br />year, generating about 3 million gallons of septage per year. In <br />17 <br />JAN 25 1994 <br />BOOK 91 FAIJE 593 <br />