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Tc Pnnter4riondlystory FLORIDAS TaEAsuRE ComrAND Pa i BEkcuES Read more at tcpalm_com Editorial: To help restore Indian River Lagoon, Treasure Coast governments should give more attention to septic -tank issue By Editorial Board Sunday, September 1, 2013 The major problem besetting the Indian River Lagoon — at least in Martin and St. Lucie counties — is the huge amount of polluted water being discharged from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie River. However, there are two additional, major sources of the toxic nutrients that can Ignite algae blooms and harm plant and animal life throughout the entire lagoon — namely, fertilizer runoff and septic -tank drainage. Many local governments on the Treasure Coast have been proactive in dealing with the first issue, adopting ordinances that ban fertilizers during the state's rainy season (June through September). The second issue — septic -tank drainage — receives less attention than it deserves. Local governments need to begin focusing their resources and creativity on this problem. The scientific evidence cannot be ignored: Sewage leeching from septic tanks throughout our region is degrading the lagoon. Brian Lapointe, a professor at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, believes sewage carries more of the nutrients spurring algae growth than fertilizer runoff. Lagoon -wide water samples in all three Treasure Coast counties in 2011 and 2012 showed elevated levels of ammonium and nitrate, according to Lapointe. Anything above 3 parts per million indicates sewage. Each county in our region has showed at least 5 parts per million. The level has been as high as 9 parts per million in Indian River County "We don't just have a problem, we have a serious problem," Lapointe said. A recent investigation by Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers found there are about 120,000 septic systems in the three -county area. As many as half were installed before 1983, when stricter regulations were enacted, making them more likely to drain sewage into groundwater — and eventually into the lagoon.