Few people in Florida think about where their sewage ends up and we assume that the government is protecting us and the environment, but this is not always the case. It is not uncommon for people to be swimming right next to a sewage outfall pipe and not even realize it.

Last week, the Florida Clean Water Network released a report on the current condition of thousands of domestic wastewater treatment facilities along the Gulf Coast of Florida reveals that decades of poor planning and lax enforcement of the Clean Water Act has created an infrastructure meltdown. Our research found that many of Florida's domestic wastewater facilities are either over-capacity at times or simply not performing at levels for which they are designed.

Our local economy is tied to our beaches and our waters. When beaches are closed due to spilled sewage or harmful algae blooms, it trickles down to the hotels and merchants, then the whole area gets a bad rap. In fact, I had friends from out-of-state here last week that wanted to go kayaking and then found out that the beach was closed due to high coliform. Local groups have also had to cancel kayak outings due to these types of conditions.

13 plants are on the DEP’s violation list for non-compliance. Some violations go back years, but the plants remain on the list until they have met all compliancy orders. The violations were compiled from DEP’s latest available public records.The list is after the jump.

Sorry for the lag in posts. I was down along Florida's Space Cost on the Indian River just miles from Port Canaveral's infamous sewage dumping casino cruises.

Needless to say, I didn't go in the water.

Photo Courtesy of Surfrider Sebastian InletIt is encouraging to see that surfing is becoming more respected these days. Surfers are now featured in car, credit card, and clothing ads. We're not considered bums anymore, but doctors, lawyers, teachers, and engineers. But in order to surf we need clean water to surf in, and that is becoming increasingly difficult to find.

It would seem to me that dumping 44 million gallons of sewage a year would be illegal but apparently it's not. Gambling day-cruises in operation off the Florida coast get away with polluting coastal waters enjoyed by millions of beachgoers simply by dumping their sewage when they are technically in international waters.

I've loved rivers all my life. That's what drew me to become an environmentalist and, lucky for me, a paid environmental advocate. I've spent years working to protect rivers from all manner of abuse and pollution.

One reassuring aspect of this challenge is that at least America has some pretty strong laws on the books that help us tackle environmental problems. When it comes to water quality, we have several protective statutes including the Clean Water Act.