The former chairman of the Florida Springs Task Force recently penned a letter to the editor to newspapers in the state regarding the importance of septic system maintenance. Jim Stevenson wrote the letter as a way of countering the message from state and local officials in Florida who are opposed to required septic system inspections 

Florida homeowners would be well advised to listen to Stevenson’s personal message about having septic tanks pumped and checked periodically to reduce both the chances of polluting groundwater and to prevent costly repairs due to neglect.

“The septic tank company employee that pumped our tank a year ago said that he has had to empty some tanks out with a shovel because they have never been maintained. It is out of sight out of mind. Just flush it and forget it until the sewage backs up in the bathtub or spills onto the lawn,’’ Stevenson wrote.

“When needed, we spend thousands of dollars to replace the roof on our house so as to protect the house—because we own it,’’ he continues. “Yet some homeowners rebel when required to spend a couple hundred dollars once every five years to maintain their septic tank to protect drinking water that belongs to everyone. Selfish? Irresponsible?

“It costs to flush. Homeowners in Tallahassee, for instance, pay on the average $40 to the utility every month to properly process their waste at the sewage treatment plant. It costs about $225 to pump a septic tank. That amounts to $3.75 per month over a five year period—the cost of a cappuccino coffee once a month.’’

Pumpers can use Stevenson’s sewer vs. septic system math to make a compelling argument for customers to get on a maintenance program, whether or not the state ultimately mandates such rules. He’s looking beyond the periodic pumping fee at the greater benefits of septic system maintenance. I talked to Stevenson recently and we’re going to feature him for a Pumper Interview story in an upcoming issue.

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