POLK COUNTY, Fla. — For many homes in Polk County, when the toilet is flushed or when the washing machine runs, the waste enters the septic tank.
“This is what collects the waste and holds the waste. We used to refer to this as the magic box because everybody uses their facilities and they don’t think about where it goes to,” said Jeff Mann, Owner of Mann Septic.
Mann estimates about 300,000 Polk County homes and businesses use septic tanks. However, the county is facing a septic problem that has been looming for years.
“When you generate waste in your community, you are supposed to be able to treat and take care of all that waste in your community. What we see happening both here in Polk County and certainly through the state of Florida is we don’t do that well,” said Roxanne Groover, Executive Director Florida Onsite Wastewater Association.
BS Ranch & Farm Inc., a waste recycling facility in Polk County, has told haulers it will soon stop accepting septic waste. After pumping a septic tank, haulers will now have to travel to Plant City to get rid of septage.
“For somebody like myself who handles Winter Haven and the east part of the county predominantly, that’s a long haul for us. Where I do five pump outs a day on average, now I can only do three because my trucks are going to have to leave and drive all the way to Plant City,” Mann said.
Many haulers fear they'll go out of business or have to charge an enormous rate.
“It’s $350 to pump out a residential house. If I have to transport it all the way to Tampa, then you’re probably looking somewhere in the $600-$700 range,” Mann said.
Polk County Commissioners are planning to build a county-operated waste-processing facility where the haulers could bring their septage. That facility could be up and running by 2025.
“One facility is not going to handle the need that we have. So we really need more facilities and need to partner with the government to build more plants,” said Mann.
BS Ranch has not given an exact cutoff date. ABC Action News has reached out to BS Ranch and has not heard back.
