Septic tank users split on state's new 'flush tax'

Joan Turek of Harwood won't mind paying $30 per year under the "flush tax" bill passed by the General Assembly, even though she is on a septic system.

"I am quite sure some are unhappy with any raises in their burden," she said. "But if we are going to save the bay we need it. If this is the only way to get the money to improve sewage plants ... a fee passed on to the public, then OK."

One of several pieces of environmental legislation passed by the General Assembly session that ended in Annapolis this month, the tax has been hailed as a bipartisan victory.

Despite the praise, however, not all septic users are as...