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NotDeadYet

Beach Fanatic
Jul 7, 2007
1,422
489
This morning around 7 I was driving down 30a and noticed that the red light and alarm at the Holly St lift station were going off. Hard to miss it, the alarm sounds like a fire alarm.
I was a bit suspicious of this lift station and now am doubly so.

I happen to also be aware of two septic tanks very close to Holly St. One of them is a vacation rental that sleeps ten. :blink:

I wonder how many septic tanks are still left in that neighborhood, which has quite a few older properties. I love the old Florida cottages and hate to see them go the way of the Villas, but they should be on sewer, or at the very least have their drain fields inspected.

Likewise Eastern Lake. How many septics are left around there?
I can hardly believe with all the rain and the high lake level and water table that any are functioning as intended.
 

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,233
4,925
SoWal
mooncreek.com
Good points.

The lift station is for sewer and is not related to septic tanks. The alarm goes off if power goes out, etc. I believe. Any central sewer system is going to have maintenance issues and usually is only a major problem if a line breaks and really gushes.

I agree that all septic tanks should be removed. It's hard to force people to pay for their removal and to pay to hook up to sewer. Price breaks have been offered to help but most homeowners won't do it.

Septic tanks were allowed in the old days when there was hardy anyone was here and some homes were empty most of the year. They are still allowed in places where there is no sewer but I don't think that would be anywhere near the lakes or beaches.

Last year there was a bill to require septic tank inspections in Florida but there was an outcry and it was repealed. There are a lot of poor folks on septic systems and to make them pay several hundred dollars a year for inspections was seen as a burden.

I doubt inspections would make a difference if your septic tank is on a lake or the beach.

If the issue starts causing people to lose revenue then maybe something will change.
 

lauralbardin

Beach Lover
May 23, 2012
133
6
Water quality

Anyone else worried about the water quality in gulf? I just received the water sampling results and there are health advisories AGAIN. This has been going on since June- recently in Grayton and blue mountain seems like there have been health advisories for the water since August. Can't blame it on the rain b/c we haven't had any-- is the county trying to figure out WHY?
 

30A Skunkape

Skunky
Jan 18, 2006
10,286
2,312
53
Backatown Seagrove
For what it is worth, our house is close to one of the cypress domes that forms a far northeast 'feeder' water head for the Western Lake basin. Today is the first day I can say it looks like the water level actually went down an inch or so in at least two weeks. I have got to imagine there is lots of inland crud still trickling down toward the gulf. Just a theory.
 
What can we do as property owners to get the powers that be to diagnose the problem and solve the problem? I mean, those dune lakes have been there forever. What has changed that has made the water quality get so poor? Have some septic tanks been compromised? Is there a problem north of 30A that is the cause? I have no clue, but this must be solved.
 

Bluznbeach

Beach Lover
Jul 11, 2005
184
52
www.davidsswan.com
Beach water quality - bad!

The SWFD just posted the latest water quality ratings -- http://www.facebook.com/southwaltonfire -- and they're about the worst I can recall - worse than the previous batch, which was bad enough. Does anybody know why this is happening? Did all that rain bring more runoff? I'm just guessing, but am getting worried too.
 

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,233
4,925
SoWal
mooncreek.com
For what it is worth, our house is close to one of the cypress domes that forms a far northeast 'feeder' water head for the Western Lake basin. Today is the first day I can say it looks like the water level actually went down an inch or so in at least two weeks. I have got to imagine there is lots of inland crud still trickling down toward the gulf. Just a theory.

I was surprised at the volume of water still flowing out at the Western Lake outflow last night.
 
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