Thread by @Matt_Fleming321

1/🧵

Florida is facing a sewage crisis. Population growth, septic tanks, aging sewer lines, using dried sewage for farm "fertilizer", flooding, corruption, lax regulation, and tax abatements for developers have left the state bursting at the seams...with literal shit.

2/ Article from 2020, USA Today.

"During the past decade, deteriorating sewers have released 1.6 billion gallons of wastewater, much of it polluting the state’s estuaries and oceans...More than 370 million gallons of that was completely untreated."

stories.usatodaynetwork.com/sewers/

3/ In addition to spills, we have "biosolids".

"Within weeks of the BS Ranch opening its gates, he said, its neighbors reported seeing “tanker trucks carrying treated and partly treated fresh sewage pulling in, and the aroma was just putrid.”

floridaphoenix.com/2021/01/14/at-…

4/ Biosolids are the solid waste byproduct of sewage treatment, and as you can imagine, it's composed of more than just feces.

.ecowatch.com/prescription-d…

5/ In 2019, Melbourne, FL had a toxic algal bloom outbreak on Lake Washington where 160k people get their drinking water. People were outraged that local farmers were spreading this stuff in fields that flood and drain every summer.

mynews13.com/fl/orlando/new…

6/ Instead of solutions, Kabuki Theater.

"What they just passed in the Commission allows biosolids application to continue...Sen. Debbie Mayfield went a step further, writing state legislation that preempts all local governments from banning biosolids..."
floridatoday.com/story/opinion/…

7/ This is video of the Duda sod farm which sits next door to a sewer plant, and uses "biosolids" in its sod production. That 💩 sod ends up as yards in the new homes being built and sold in Florida. You won't find this place on a tourism brochure.

#VisitFlorida https://t.co/olMOW0NYKytwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

8/ In addition to sewage spills and biosolids being spread everywhere, Florida has 2.5 MILLION septic tanks: "contaminants flowing into septic systems seep out through Florida's porous sands and limestone and into groundwater aquifers"

gainesville.com/story/news/loc…

9/ Most swimming/fishing areas in FL are NOT tested for bacteria like fecal coliform, E. coli, cyanobacteria, or vibrio vulnificus, all of which can cause serious illness...to say nothing of viruses or toxic chemicals. Beaches that ARE tested for these things close frequently.

10/ In Ft. Myers beach, they passed a law outlawing handheld signs after it took years of protests to get them to install water quality signs.

floridaphoenix.com/2022/06/29/ban…

11/ Florida has no state income tax, and the amount of property/development tax abatements available to developers is staggering. This passes the buck for enlarging and upgrading sewer infrastructure to homeowners and local governments.

floridatoday.com/story/news/202…

12/ In addition to toxins and harmful pathogens/bacteria, these sewage drains and spills contribute to massive algae blooms that have completely wiped out most of Florida's inshore fisheries.

13/ Out of sight out of mind...The Florida Way.

"Interestingly enough, again, according to EPA’s website “approximately 30 percent of Class I wells in the U.S. are municipal waste disposal wells and these wells are located exclusively in Florida.

jacquithurlowlippisch.com/tag/maps-of-de…

14/ But drilling holes and pumping sewage into the ground is not a solution. Florida's geology is very porous, and the Florida Aquifer is where 20 million people get their drinking water...

15/ Our states collection of freshwater springs are a national treasure, and they are turning green. "Wakulla Spring no longer clears completely – the water has a greenish color."

tallahassee.com/story/opinion/…

16/ Seriously.

17/ "More than 1,000 manatees died in FL last year...more than 10% of the state’s population, the deadliest year on record. The unusually high mortality rate for [manatees] has continued into 2022, with 562 deaths in the first 5 months."

#DeathSantis
theguardian.com/environment/20…

19/ While the Biden admin makes historic investments in infrastructure, the Republican solution is to privatize water systems: "More than 90% of Floridians — get their water from a public provider. But the corporate water lobby is trying to change that."

tallahassee.com/story/opinion/…

20/ Another idea is "toilet to tap" where treated wastewater would be recycled into drinking water systems. Technology exists to make this feasible, but no one trusts Florida's "leaders" to do it the right way. Nor should they.

patch.com/florida/southt…

21/ Ron DeSantis war on "woke" is this huge and shallow contrivance to distract everyone from these problems, and he's happy to do it bc developers, farmers, and corrupt local officials are all making a lot of money from the status quo.

#DemandCleanWaterFL
#VisitFlorida

22/ The rest of us are out here like...wtf, basically.