Grinder Pumps, Will They Mean the End of Key Deer?

Commisioner George Neugent states that a pressure sewage system, with grinder pumps, is the optimum sewage collection system for Big Pine Key.  He says grinder pumps require less excavation and have a smaller footprint.  While these may or may not be immediate benefits of a pressure sewage system, we need to consider the impact of alternative systems, long term environmental issues and the unintended consequences of this political decision.  You may or may not agree with my hypothesis, but it needs serious analysis, debate and input from independent professionals before long term, permanent and potentially disastrous decisions are made.

The Key Deer thrive on Big Pine Key because there are two separate fresh water lenses that hold an estimated at 20-30 million gallons.  The very existence of the key deer, lower keys marsh rabbits, rice rats and now two species of endangered butterfly depend on the availability and quality of the water.  These two lenses provide a freshwater source to the Blue Hole and small ponds that support the deer and plants needed for this a unique ecological system.  According to studies, most of which were conducted in the 1980-90 period, it takes about 2.5 years for water on the surface to make its way through the lens to the nearby waters.  There are no recent studies on the size, movement or impact of a sewage system of any kind on the freshwater lens on Big Pine Key.

A pressure system, with almost 1,200 grinder pumps and plastic pits, thirty lift stations, and two booster stations, require many miles of HDPE plastic pipe, thousands of thermal pipe welds, thousands of shut-off and check valves, and dozens of concrete pits all buried anywhere from  2 to 12 feet deep.  Grinder pits only hold about one day of sewage during power outages, after which sewage either flows into your home or yard if you continue to flush.  There is a 100% probability that there will be leaks: thermal weld or valve failures, excavation or drilling through the pipe, or simply cracking of the plastic pipe or concrete pits over time.  When that happens, the leaks, which are almost impossible to detect in a pressure system, will contaminate the freshwater lens, eventually creating a poisoned source of water for the fragile ecological system that will take years to dissipate.  Think about a two year plus cycle to get rid of any spilled sewage!  A gravity system is somewhat better because the number of miles of piping is greatly reduced, but the real solution for Big Pine Key is a vacuum system, which is also the least cost alternative.  As George recently pointed out, when a vacuum system leaks, the water enters the system, instead of the sewage entering the water.  BTW, the problem of leaking vacuum pit seals being experienced in other parts of the Keys, will likely occur as well with grinder pits as well since the pits use the same type of seals between the plastic pit and the surrounding area.

Almost eighteen months ago I asked for a review of the CRWS design in order to address the many serious questions being raised.  While we are now at the eleventh hour, the final decision for Big Pine could have major consequences and needs to be reviewed by professionals, not politicians.  Every politician, environmental and homeowner group who loves or has a concern for the unique environment of Big Pine Key should demand legitimate answers.  The representatives of the Key Deer Preserve, the EPA and DEP should demand real, timely and independent analysis before any work goes forward.  Simply meeting the minimum design requirements of State law is not adequate for this sensitive environment. This is too important for the FKAA to just do what our politicians want without questioning the long term impact.  I live on Cudjoe Key and will have a gravity system.  I seek no political office and my firm, by choice, does not work in Florida, so I have no financial interest in this issue.  I am raising these questions because I have a moral obligation to my neighbors and our children to assure that we get the right system.

The residents of the Keys and all of Florida need answers.  When this system leaks, is there any way to find the leaks?  How long will it be before the plastic piping begins to deteriorate?  How do you keep 1,200 grinder pumps working when there is a power outage?  What do the scientists say about the impact of sewage in the freshwater lens?  Why is a system that costs more over the long term even being considered?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COMMENT:  by  County Commissioner George Neugent

Walt,

To grasp the logic of your comments, of which I still look, makes it clear that you have either lost possession of your senses or will make up anything, plausible or not, about a subject you disagree with. I think the latter, although, could be both.

Collecting the raw sewage, that has been going on and into the ground, freshwater lens and canals for decades, then treating to a high level, and then disposing of it in a deep injection well is inarguably the way to deal with sewage.

The lens, of which you speak, was turned into a witches brew when Hurricane Georges & Wilma’s flood waters overflowed drain fields, septic tanks and cess pits that still exist today. Speaking at length with Dr. Brian Lapointe, He and me are in complete agreement on grinder pumps and pressurized, thermally welded, small pipe (small pipe tech) being the RIGHT WAY to address central collection and disposal, especially in environmentally sensitive areas of low lying flat terrain. This due in great part to the smaller footprint and shallowness of trenching for the small piping that is used.

Argue if you chose Walt, however, The City of Marathon is on record as formally saying the “Grassy Key Plant,” a totally grinder pump small pipe technology system, is the most trouble free of the 5 systems they have.

Walt, in your letter, you stated, “George is right.” So, leave it at that; leave out, as you always try to plug into the mix, the worst case scenarios of houses blowing up, causing more pollution than cess Pitts, houses having to be torn down due to sewer back ups and now your concern for the growing population of Key deer.

George Neugent

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Response to George Neugent by Walt Drabinski

George, I read your letter and am wondering just which one of us has “lost possession of your senses or will make up anything, plausible or not, about a subject you disagree with”.  I have spent 40 years evaluating complex utility systems, including eleven water/wastewater treatment companies.  I have evaluated and provided either oversight or prudence reviews on over $15 billion of construction projects, and testified over 100 times on regulatory issues, including before the US Congress.  When I perform an analysis, I base it on facts and thorough research.  Let’s bring out some facts and correct some of your statements:

• First, I agree with your second paragraph that collecting sewage, treating it, and at least for the time being, injecting it into deep wells is needed.  Glad to see you are now behind deep wells, but that is only a temporary solution.  We will probably find a need to ultimately treat the wastewater to drinking water standards, and not inject any partially treated water into our aquifer.
  

  Example of HDPE pipe splitting experienced by Dalton, Georgia (2011).

• You, and noted sewer expert Mike Puto, have been bragging about the grinder pumps on Grassy Key which are part of the Marathon system.  There are thirty grinders located in the right of way, not on homeowner’s property, that collect sewage by gravity from groups of 4-5 homes.  They have only been in place for a short time, have very little head to pump against and short runs so one would not expect problems.
• I agree with Dr. Brian Lapointe that we should use a system that has minimum disruption of the freshwater lens on Big Pine Key.  However, a pressure system is not the answer.  Yes, they use thermal welded joints, however, read the QC requirements on thermal welding, they must be done in clean, dry conditions by trained operators.  Given the rain, dust and salt environment the contractors are working in, eventually one or more will fail when stressed, or people will drill or dig through the pipes.  Since you mentioned hurricanes, just look at what happened to the EONE grinder pump system in New Jersey that was hit by Super Storm (not a hurricane) Sandy.  It was totally destroyed.   EONE’s own data shows that when the system starts up after a power outage, pressures can reach 180 PSI.  Yes, there is a case where a hose clamp failed and the pressure line blew off at the grinder pump and filled a house with thousands of gallons of sewage.  Speaking of power outages, how will FKAA provide temporary power to 1,200 homes on Big Pine alone when it takes 20 minutes to pump out one home?  Not all power outages are associated with hurricanes when many evacuate!
• A vacuum system was rejected outright as an alternative for the CRWS, for some unknown reason, in the FKAA decision tree, yet it has the lowest upfront construction costs, operates at a lower cost than a pressure system, doesn’t require deep burial and does not leak into the aquifer when there is a failure.  Yes, the startup period for vacuum system is a pain because problems are immediately noticeable.  However, wouldn’t you rather see short term water leakage into the system, which can then be repaired, rather than long term sewage leakage into the aquifer?  The Inflow and Infiltration (INI) that you always cite, is a minimum problem with gravity, and even the vacuum problems you cite in Tavernier are very small compared to old systems, such as that in Key West where it was often 30-40% before the system was replaced.  If you really want to learn about INI, look at this web site:  http://www.lgvsd.org/doing-business/sewer-lateral-assistance/infiltrations-and-inflow/, it shows most INI is associated with pre-1980 clay and concrete sewer lines.
• I do not use hyperbole or scare tactics.  No one has said homes blow up, or cess pits are better than grinder pumps.   The detailed Cape Coral study compared a pressure system to aerobic septic systems and stated that grinders were not much better; no one is condoning cess pits.  Every word I write is based on detailed analysis and hard evidence.  I don’t just repeat the same irrelevant statement over and over.
• A year ago you said that gravity was the Cadillac system and we would have liked to have it everywhere it could be installed, but there was not enough money.  The FKAA’s engineer admitted the system selected was based upon the money available in 2009.  Now we have learned that the one cent infrastructure tax is projected to collect millions per year more than anticipated.  There is money to do it right.

One of us is unwilling to consider that there is a better way of providing a sewage collection, treatment, and injection system that lasts longer, has lower lifecycle costs, is less invasive to our fragile environment, and does not require homeowners to give up property rights and provide electricity.  Any average engineer can select a system and develop a design for average conditions.  The Florida Keys are not average! We are surrounded by a sanctuary, live with many endangered species, are subject to severe sun, salt and heat, and must withstand an occasional hurricane.  Why would any engineer ever select a system that has thousands of moving electrical and mechanical parts, spews sewage when it fails, has a projected lifespan of only 25 years (versus 60 years for gravity), and will not survive a hurricane?  Take a look at the Civil and Structural Engineer study   http://cenews.com/article/7596/cleaning_up_the_keys& regarding vacuum versus pressure systems in the Florida Keys.

We will not go away; we will continue to fight for what is right.  The residents and visitors to the Keys should be  proud of groups such as Dump the Pumps, Last Stand, Dig Deep Cudjoe and the many supporters of the Sir Isaac Newton Coalition that are standing up to your strong arm tactics. I am particularly pleased that hundreds of residents have reached into their pockets to work for a better system when our elected representatives refuse to do their job.  In the not too distant future, you and I will be long gone and forgotten, but our children and grandchildren will have to live with the decisions we make today.