1/25/1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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