Septic systems contributing to Lee County’s water quality issues

From fecal bacteria to blue-green algae to red tide, degrading water quality is a prevalent issue in Southwest Florida. Recent research links many of Lee County’s water quality woes to its septic systems.

A third of all homes in Florida use septic tanks. Estimates in Lee County alone range from 100,000 to 200,000. It’s difficult to pinpoint because many are abandoned or built over, but researchers say figuring it out is vital to our water quality.

Our lifestyle depends on water for drinking, recreation, and the economy. Our natural treasures—Southwest Floruida’s beaches, wildlife, mangroves, and plant life—all rely on it.

But its current state is unreliable.

“We have a diversity of harmful algal blooms in the county that are worsening,” said Brian Lapointe, a researcher at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. “And, of course, the million-dollar question is where are the nutrients coming from that are feeding these various blooms?”

Five years ago, Lee County contracted FAU to answer that million-dollar question. The resultant study showed septic systems are a major contributor to nutrient pollution, particularly nitrogen, in the Caloosahatchee River.