June Water News
- CWC
- Jun 28
- 7 min read
Congressman Mike Haridopolos toured the county-owned Spoonbill Marsh, a 69-acre man-made wetland north of Grand Harbor that serves as both a water-treatment facility and a popular birdwatching destination. The innovative marsh filters brine generated by the county’s reverse osmosis wastewater treatment system, using natural processes to remove nutrients before cleaner water is returned to the Indian River Lagoon.
Haridopolos praised Indian River County’s ongoing efforts to protect the Indian River Lagoon while announcing that the federal Fiscal Year 2027 House Appropriations Bill includes $1 million in Community Project Funding for the Ixora Park Infrastructure Improvement Project. “Protecting the Indian River Lagoon requires collaboration at every level of government, and I am proud to advocate for projects that improve water quality, strengthen communities, and preserve one of Florida’s greatest natural resources.”
According to IRC Capital Projects Engineer, Howard Richards, "The goal of this project is to replace the sanitary sewer collection system at Ixora Park (9,700 linear feet of vitrified clay pipe) that has reached the end of its service life. Since 2016, there have been 109 work orders in Ixora Park. Frequent failures of the system result in sink holes in the community's roadways, presenting a public safety hazard and service interruptions. Ixora Park is adjacent to the south relief canal, if a pipe fails, sewer may leach into the canal and into the IRL."
The tour was led by Richard Meckes, assistant director of Indian River County Utility Services. Joining the congressman were County Commissioners Susan Adams, Joseph Earman, and Joe Flescher, along with Keith Drewett of the Clean Water Coalition.
The funding announcement remains subject to final congressional approval as lawmakers continue work on the Fiscal Year 2027 federal budget. (Project Map Image)
There are over 300,000 septic systems draining into the 156 mile-long Indian River Lagoon.
More than 1,000 people per day are moving into Florida. There are concerns about depletion of potable ground water as salt water intrudes-possibly requiring alternate water supplies.
Our smartly designed canal system that historically allowed people to live and farm in Florida is now transporting our pollution to the Lagoon.
Remediating all of these problems will take generous and consistent funding from all levels of government (city, county and state) for many years.
Cleaning up our Lagoon is mandated by Florida Law through the Basin Management Action Plans. The Plan determines how much nitrogen and phosphorus must be reduced to reach BMAP goals. The projects are accomplished by Cities/Counties using local tax dollars to apply for matching dollars from the State and Federal government.
This year, we are not experiencing strong support from Tallahassee.
In 2023, Governor DeSantis signed an executive order pledging $100 million/year for four years to clean up the Indian River Lagoon – one of North America’s most biologically diverse estuaries. For 2026, that amount has been slashed to only $25 million, to be allocated between south Volusia to northern Palm Beach Counties.
The Department of Environmental Protection received $0 for their Water Quality Grant Program (2 years in a row) and overall, a 40% cut to State environmental programs compared to 2022.
Florida Forever, the State’s primary land-conservation program received no funding this year in spite of a state law that says it should receive at least $100 Million/year.
And now, the Legislature voted to put an amendment on the ballot which gives voters the option of reducing the local funding (property taxes).
What is the risk of the Property Tax reductions?
The cost of running fire and police departments and water and sewer services will not vanish. Vero Beach City Manager Monte Falls said, “This will not be a tax cut, it will be a tax shift”. Costs for services will have to increase – utilities, garbage. Fees may be created – parking. Some services may disappear – lifeguards, maintenance for parks, recreation.
An important point is that affluent communities will feel the property tax cut far less due to high property values. Indian River Shores and Orchid, where homes are valued in the millions will keep most of their property tax. However, Fellsmere, Sebastian and Indian River County will lose a large share of their tax base and struggle to fund basic services.
Effect on the Water Management Districts
The mission of Florida’s five Water Management Districts (WMDs) is to provide water supply, water quality, ecosystem restoration and flood control. They rely on Property Taxes.
In 2026-27, the WMDs are projected to collect $698 million. The amendment will reduce annual tax collection by $200 million (29%) and they have no other significant revenue sources. The amendment will harm efforts to meet water supply shortages and to fund projects that improve water quality and ecosystem health. The matching dollars to local county and city governments will disappear.
When you are planning to vote this November, please consider these issues!
CWC Successfully Completes
a National Estuary Program Water Quality Grant!
The CWC has worked for years alongside the City of Vero Beach Utilities Staff to urge residents to connect to the City’s innovative STEP Sewer System. Progress was slow and many residents truly did not have the out-of-pocket money to connect – even though the City was offering incentives and 0% financing.
After consulting with other help agencies, CWC realized that some retired residents on fixed income and working families (ALICE – Asset Limited, Income Challenged, Employed) could possibly lose their homes as mandatory connection is enforced through State and Local laws. CWC Board member, Keith Drewett, developed a Pilot program with funding from CWC, the Land Trust of Indian River County and the Indian River Community Foundation. The Pilot proved that we could attract and qualify those “ALICE” residents for connection to the City’s STEP Sewer - grouping the connections for competitive bid to bring the cost down. By helping the most vulnerable homeowners, we protect our workforce and affordable housing. The resulting nutrient reductions improve the health of the Lagoon for everyone!
After proving our process worked, CWC applied for a grant for $199,500 to connect 35 low-income residences to sewer. Our final report has been submitted to the Indian River Lagoon Council. We are proud of our results and thankful to our donors who make this possible!
The CWC exceeded the expectations of the grant. Through the competitive bidding process and lots of volunteer effort, we connected 47 low-income households to sewer. Each connection removes significant amounts of pollution from the groundwater, which travels to the Lagoon, threatening the health of seagrass, fish, birds and even humans.
This project could not have been completed without the support of the Economics Opportunities Council who have patiently screened each applicant for eligibility and helped them through the process. The City Council and Staff were extremely supportive and helped to make connection affordable for those qualifying.
News from the St. Johns Riverkeeper
By Niyati Shah, Headwaters Specialist
The St. Johns Riverkeeper is determined to curb the relentless dumping of sewage sludge (aka biosolids) on the banks of the Upper St. Johns River Basin. In 2018, a State law banned the deposition of biosolids in the Lake Okeechobee watershed due to algal blooms. The sludge haulers began using lands farther north. In 2018, Indian River County passed a moratorium and ban on Class B Biosolids deposition due to a blue-green algae bloom in Blue Cypress Lake. However, in the past two decades, over 60,000 metric tons of sewage sludge have been disposed of on ranch lands flanking the river, causing unprecedented nutrient and PFAS (“forever chemicals”) pollution into treasured waterbodies like Blue Cypress Lake and Lake Washington.
Today, the Upper Basin contributes about 70% of the nutrient loading to the St. Johns River downstream. The St. Johns River Water Management District’s 2025 water quality report paints an even grimmer picture of conditions in the headwaters: elevated phosphorus and nitrogen were found which had concentrations that far exceeded the established target of 0.09 mg/L for phosphorus.
In January 2026, Florida lawmakers passed legislation that would ban the land disposal of Class B biosolids by 2028 and establish protective guardrails for the use of Class AA biosolids through a rulemaking process beginning in November 2026. New 2026 legislation also requires wastewater treatment facilities to test for PFAS quarterly, however, Florida does not currently have strictly defined, enforceable numerical limits for PFAS in sewage sludge. When Class AA biosolids fill the vacuum created by the phase-out of Class B biosolids disposal, it is important to require their safe use. Although Class AA treatment reduces pathogens, both Class AA and Class B biosolids can still contain PFAS, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other emerging contaminants that threaten water quality.
Given this context, the newly formed Biosolids Citizen Oversight Committee aims to
Foster public awareness of biosolid dumping and resultant water quality issues
Participate in FDEP’s rulemaking for Class AA beginning in November 2026
Explore pathways for the development of innovative technologies that provide alternative paths to biosolid disposal
Monitor PFAS levels in the surface and drinking water of the Upper Basin, especially downstream of sewage sludge dumping sites
Advance policies that further regulate biosolids in the 2027 Florida legislative session if warranted.
The Committee comprises representatives from St. Johns Riverkeeper, Clean Water Coalition of IRC, Indian River Neighborhood Association, and 1000 Friends of Florida, among other environmental experts and advocates.
Most immediately, we’re launching a study of PFAS in Melbourne’s drinking water, which is sourced from Lake Washington. Participation in thestudyrequires collecting a one-time sample of tap water. We're focusing on households in Melbourne and the surrounding area, and our goal is to include a geographically and socioeconomically diverse group of participants. Sign upherefor the study, and spread the word with your friends, family, and other community members!
Through research, advocacy, and outreach, we are working to protect not only the Upper St. Johns River Basin from biosolid disposal, but also the habitats (human, included!) that depend on clean water throughout Florida.
River Kidz Report
We had a wonderful time kayaking with our River Kidz program at Round Island. We had two groups with multiple families in each group that got a chance to paddle with us. Our first group was a little smaller so we took the trails through the mangroves and spent time looking for mangrove tree crabs and different spiders.
We exited the mangroves and paddled around for about an hour looking at birds and fish before returning to the boat ramp with this group. After that I got the second group on the water. This one was a bit bigger so we bypassed the mangrove trail and ended up in a different location and came across manatees.
We sat and watched from afar but it didn’t take long before the manatees had surrounded our boats. At one point a manatee came up underneath one of the boats and lifted them right out of the water. The family thought that was fun. It is always a great day when we get to see the manatees. Everyone left with smiles on their faces and a little more connected with our environment.
The River Kidz are sponsored in part by the Clean Water Coalition.
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