Sludge in Our Water: What’s Harming Brevard’s Rivers and Lagoons?

Fight For Zero
Apr 23, 2020
3 min read

Updated: May 24

Sewage Sludge: A Silent Threat to Florida’s Waterways

Sewage sludge, also known as biosolids, is the semi-solid waste left over after wastewater treatment. While it’s often spread on land as fertilizer, improperly treated or over-applied sludge can leach harmful contaminants into nearby rivers, lakes, and groundwater, including Florida’s already endangered waterways.

In Brevard County, the runoff from sewage sludge has been linked to nutrient pollution that fuels toxic algae blooms and contributes to the decline of fragile ecosystems like the Indian River Lagoon. But the danger goes beyond ecological damage.

What’s in Sludge?

Sewage sludge can contain:

Heavy metals like lead and mercury
PFAS (forever chemicals) from industrial sources and household waste
Pathogens including bacteria and viruses
Pharmaceutical residues and endocrine-disrupting compounds

When these pollutants enter the water system, they can contaminate drinking water supplies, harm aquatic life, and pose serious health risks to humans—especially children, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems.

Health Impacts of Contaminated Water

Exposure to sludge-related pollutants has been linked to:

Cancer
Reproductive issues
Developmental delays in children
Hormonal disruption
Gastrointestinal illnesses

The Need for Better Treatment & Regulation

Current treatment processes don’t always remove emerging contaminants like PFAS. Stronger safeguards are urgently needed, including:

Advanced sludge treatment technologies
Stricter application regulations
Prohibition of sludge use near waterways and residential areas
Comprehensive monitoring and testing

Protecting Our Water, Protecting Our Health

As Florida battles water quality crises fueled by pollution and climate pressures, it’s time to reconsider how we handle sewage sludge. Protecting our waterways means investing in cleaner technologies, stronger oversight, and public health safeguards that put communities and ecosystems first.

Why the Moratorium on Biosolids Is Needed in Brevard County:

"Dear Commissioners,

South Florida sewer plants have been exporting their sewage remnants to Brevard County for at least five years. An example is the Port St. John site, which has over 232,000 pounds applied. It is less than 4 miles from the Indian River Lagoon, near an Elementary School, High School, and a community church. The field where this is applied drains into a canal that leads to the St. Johns River.

Every summer, we ban fertilizer with nitrogen and phosphorus (nutrients that can feed harmful algae blooms), which are supposed to help the Indian River Lagoon. However, the DEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) allows landowners to dump “Class B” waste as fertilizer. Either we want to protect the Indian River Lagoon from excessive nitrogen and phosphorus, or we want it to appear as though we are protecting the lagoon. Sludge contains highly varied organic chemicals, toxic metals, chemical irritants, and pathogens. [1]

There is an unknown amount of harmful toxins in these biosolids, including carcinogenic chemicals such as PFAS, in which the state of Florida does not have an enforceable health limit set. PFAS are a significant concern due to their extensive presence and persistence in the environment. PFAS exposure can cause suppressed immune function, lower vaccine effectiveness, higher risk of autoimmune diseases, and cancer. PFAS, present in significant concentrations in sludge, makes it possible for them to enter human and ecological food-chains from biosolids-amended soil. [2]

A 2002 study by the University of Georgia found higher reports of ill-health symptoms and diseases near biosolids permitted fields. [3] Just because there is compliance with the regulations does not ensure the protection of public health. [4] Even though Class B biosolids require specific pathogen reduction, it is not based on risk assessment, and “Class B” still contains significant levels of pathogens. [5]

We are taking things that other counties ban. Brevard County is not an outhouse. Spreading sludge risks decades of expensive environmental restoration to improve the river’s water quality. [6] Today, I ask for your formal support in the ban of biosolids (also known as sludge) to better protect the health of communities and our waterways. Solutions: Another option is to convert the nutrients to energy and electricity by converting the material to biofuels. Sludge can also be used as a fuel source in power plants, or it can be heated in a process that creates a synthetic gas that could be used to operate portions of a sewer plant.

Sincerely, Stel Bailey Executive Director, Fight For Zero