Who Regulates On-Site Sewage Treatment and Disposal?
While the Florida Statutes contain a set of broad guidelines regulating sewage treatment and disposal, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) is the primary authority for specific, statewide regulations controlling the installation and use of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems (septic tanks and drain fields). The installation and use of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) also falls under the permit authority of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This is the case especially when an OSTDS and/or an OSTDS drain field are installed in a wetland, or when the failure (leaking) of an OSTDS would threaten the quality of ground water and/or surface water with contamination, and make public well water unsafe for human consumption. The EPA can regulate an OSTDS, under the SDWA, as a Class Five Well and require it to meet Undergr
