Scientist Calls Out Captains for Clean Water for Silence on Septic Tanks Polluting Waterways

LEE COUNTY (FLV) – Aging septic tanks along with significant rainfall in low lying, urbanized areas have led to high amounts of fecal bacteria in some of the Lee County bodies of water, according to one scientist.

Earlier this month, the Calusa Waterkeeper found high levels of fecal bacteria in locations including Orange River at Manatee Park and Whiskey Creek.

Dr. Brian Lapointe is a research professor at Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute who has been conducting research in southwest Florida since 2004. Lapointe participated in studies showing septic tanks was a “big part” of the fecal bacteria problem.

“What we found was that the septic systems are enriching the groundwater with high concentrations of nitrogen in the form of ammonium and nitrate… and phosphorus as well,” Lapointe said.

One of his studies found that 80% of the septic tank readings in North Fort Myers failed the state’s standard for separation of the drain field of the septic system to the top of the seasonally high water table, meaning the water levels are too high in the groundwater.

He specifically noted initial research from 2017 showing Lake Okeechobee is not impaired for fecal bacteria unlike the Caloosahatchee River. Researchers began a lengthy study in Lee County that took place between 2017 and 2020.

“I think we kind of realized that, whoa, maybe all of these problems we’re seeing in our estuary and river are not coming from Lake Okeechobee, like many of the environmental activists are saying,” Lapointe said. “A lot of this problem is coming right from our backyards and from our septic tanks.”

Lapointe said they found “multiple lines of evidence” that septic tanks are a major source of nutrient pollution of the estuary and contributes to the fecal indicator bacteria problem.

“It’s very obvious right now because we haven’t had discharges from Lake Okeechobee in months to the Caloosahatchee, but we are seeing these problems of fecal bacteria in the estuary,” he said.

Some environmental groups, including Captains for Clean Water, blame runoff from sugar farmers for the “polluted” Lake Okeechobee, which they said then spreads into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie waterways, “fueling massive blooms of toxic blue-green algae.” The nonprofit has advocated for the elimination of “harmful, large scale” Lake Okeechobee discharges.

Florida’s Voice reached out to Captains for Clean Water Monday morning for a comment and will update if one is provided. Lapointe noted how some environmental groups do not talk about septic tanks causing problems in local waterways.

“These are politically motivated activists that I don’t think they’re interested in solving the problem. I think they’re more interested in pointing fingers at the farmers, you know, around Lake Okeechobee,” Lapointe said.

Captains for Clean Water has accepted money from the Everglades Foundation. Lapointe referred to former Everglades Foundation scientist Tom Van Lent who left the organization and insinuated it put politics over facts.

Lapointe explained how “the science is not there” to blame the problems in Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee River, St. Lucie and the Indian River Lagoon on the farmers south of Lake Okeechobee.

“But they have convinced so much of the public that all of these problems we’re seeing with red tides and blue green algae, all these, the brown tide in the Indian River Lagoon, are coming from farmers south of the lake,” Lapointe said. “That is so wrong.”

Runoff from those farmers moves south and does not move north into the lake, Lapointe said.

“They really have, I think, done a great job at misinforming the public as to what the real issues are,” he said. “I think that you need to know, you just need to follow the science.”

He believes the solution includes focusing on northern storage and cleaning up the water draining into Lake Okeechobee. Northern storage promotes aquifer storage recovery wells to store water from north Florida so lakes further south do not fill up. 

With regards to the fecal bacteria in Lee County, Lapointe suggested replacing septic tanks with Distributed Wastewater Treatment.

“It’s the same price as a septic system but it removes nitrogen and all these other contaminants,” he said. “It’s the way we need to move quickly in Florida to clean up all this pollution from septic systems.”

Lapointe said 12% of the nation’s septic systems are in Florida and there are about 100,000 septic tanks in Lee County.