Polk OKs Funds To Deal Locally With Septic Tank Waste

Tuesday the County Commission approved a contract to build a facility at the North Central Landfill to properly take care of the waste generated by septic tanks.
The $21.4 million contract with C & T Contracting Services is expected to provide a long sought after solution to the disposal problem for Polk’s septic tank businesses.
Traditionally the waste has been dumped in pastures in rural areas of the county, but it had become harder to find locations that did not generate odor and pollution complaints from adjacent landowners as Polk County allowed more development in formerly rural agricultural areas. Polk County officials had been discussing the construction of one or more treatment facilities since at least 2020.
According to the contract approved Tuesday, the new plant should be completed by sometime late in 2026.
Funds from the Polk County Utilities capital fund and President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan will be used to pay for the project.
The lack of a local disposal area has forced haulers to use a plant in Hillsborough County, which has increased the amount they have to charge customers. The opening of a plant in Polk County should make the service more affordable.
The disposal of septic tank waste and sewer plant sludge, which the industry has tried to use the more harmless-sounding term biosolids to describe, has been an environmental issue for decades.
That’s because the waste contains nutrients and traces of other chemicals including toxic metals and medical waste that. affect water quality and human health.
The opening of the BS Ranch & Farm facility on the outskirts of Lakeland in 2016 was initially thought to be a solution to the disposal problem, but the facility’s operation never lived up to its billing and has since been shut down after years of controversy regarding odor complaints and other problems.
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