May Water News
- CWC
- May 18
- 7 min read
Clean Water Coalition Honors
Indian River Land Trust as a Lagoon Champion
The Clean Water Coalition is pleased to recognize the Indian River Land Trust as a recipient of the Lagoon Champion Award for its long-standing commitment to protecting the Indian River Lagoon and conserving environmentally important lands throughout our county.
For many years, the Indian River Land Trust has focused on preserving natural habitats, protecting lagoon shorelines, and safeguarding open space that directly supports water quality. Through these efforts, more than 1,300 acres of land and miles of shoreline in Indian River County have been conserved. These protected lands play an important role in filtering stormwater, reducing pollution, and providing critical habitat for wildlife in and around the lagoon.
One of the most important areas of collaboration between the Clean Water Coalition and the Indian River Land Trust has been the septic-to-sewer conversion effort in lagoon-adjacent neighborhoods. This initiative helps reduce nutrient pollution entering the lagoon by assisting homeowners in transitioning from septic systems to centralized sewer infrastructure. Through shared outreach, coordination, and financial support, both organizations have helped expand participation and increase the overall impact of this important water quality effort.
In addition, both the Indian River Land Trust and the Clean Water Coalition have contributed funding in support of Indian River County’s mobile pump-out boat program. These combined efforts help expand a practical service that reduces the discharge of wastewater from recreational boats, providing a direct and measurable benefit to lagoon water quality.
Special recognition is also extended to Ken Grudens and David Foss for their continued coordination and leadership in strengthening the partnership between our organizations.
The Clean Water Coalition is proud to honor the Indian River Land Trust as a Lagoon Champion and to recognize its continued leadership, partnership, and financial commitment to protecting the land and water resources that define our region.
Learn more about the Indian River Land Trust.
Forum Draws Over 100 Attendees
The "Land & Water: Issues & Solutions" Public Education Forum on April 25 was a success, with more than 100 community members filling The Emerson Center for a full day of expert presentations on the challenges facing the Indian River Lagoon and Blue Cypress Lake.
Hosted by the Clean Water Coalition, the Indian River Neighborhood Association, and the Pelican Island Audubon Society, the forum featured speakers from the Indian River Lagoon Council, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Marine Resources Council, Indian River Land Trust, the City of Vero Beach, Indian River County, and several universities. Topics covered wastewater infrastructure, biosolids, stormwater solutions, and habitat restoration, and the speakers made complex issues accessible and actionable for a general audience.
With November 2026 elections on the horizon, the timing matters. An informed public is the foundation of good water policy, and the turnout on April 25 showed that this community is paying attention. We hope to hold this event every other year and hope you'll attend next time!
The St. Johns River Water Management District released 2025 seagrass monitoring data showing major recovery in the Indian River Lagoon — coverage jumped from about 9,900 hectares in 2023 to over 17,000 hectares in 2025, with density also increasing. The gains are attributed to years of coordinated water quality improvements, including four canal diversion projects that redirect freshwater and nutrients away from the lagoon back toward the St. Johns River. The District says continued investment in restoration, monitoring, and efforts like Brevard County's muck dredging project will be critical to sustaining the momentum.
Read more here: https://www.sjrwmd.com/2026/05/district-releases-updated-seagrass-data-showing-continued-expansion/
On May 14, the Sebastian City Council approved two massive annexation ordinances despite widespread public opposition, paving the way for approximately 1,512 new homes across 586 acres of agricultural land at Sebastian Pines and Cresswind. The Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County and hundreds of residents via a petition urged the Council to slow down. They didn't listen.
Here's what that vote means for Indian River County's water future.
The City of Sebastian doesn't operate its own water or wastewater utility. Both developments will rely entirely on Indian River County's system under an interlocal agreement. The City approved growth it cannot independently serve, while the County bears the burden of expanding capacity, extending infrastructure, and managing long-term supply.
That arrangement deserves a much more rigorous public reckoning. The County has established a critical goal to connect approximately 2,600 existing, highly polluting legacy septic systems to the central sewer grid by 2030 to comply with state Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) mandates. By approving these annexations, the City of Sebastian will allow 1,512 new homes to monopolize the County's limited wastewater treatment capacity and infrastructure funds. Every gallon of treatment capacity allocated to Cresswind and Sebastian Pines is a gallon stripped from the County's urgent mandate to take legacy septic systems offline.
Both properties drain into canal systems that discharge into the Indian River Lagoon, already classified as impaired under the Clean Water Act. Converting 586 acres to residential use (with all the rooftops, driveways, fertilizer, and runoff that entails) will increase nutrient loading into a system we're spending hundreds of millions of dollars to restore.
Growth isn't inherently wrong. But 1,512 homes approved in a single meeting, on someone else's water system, at the expense of a legally mandated pollution reduction effort? That deserves more than a rubber stamp.
From June 1 to September 30: Be a Lagoon Champion
Every summer, you have a chance to make a real difference for the Indian River Lagoon. Using less water and skipping the fertilizer reduces the harmful runoff that carries pollutants into our waterways. Excess fertilizer feeds algae blooms that choke off oxygen and threaten fish, seagrass, and the marine life our lagoon depends on. Conserving water also eases the load on stormwater systems, helping keep more pollution from reaching the water in the first place.
These are small shifts that add up to something big. When you cut back on water use and put the fertilizer away for the season, you're being a good neighbor to the lagoon (and to everyone who depends on it). You're helping protect its health for wildlife, for your community, and for the generations that come after us.
Across Indian River County, from west of town to the barrier island, more and more residents are going a step further by planting Florida native gardens. Some have transformed entire yards. If you're looking for a place to start, consider swapping out turf grass or high-maintenance plants for Florida natives. They need less water, zero fertilizer, and provide critical habitat for birds, butterflies, and other pollinators. Every native plant you add helps restore natural balance and strengthens the lagoon's resilience.
Biosolids and Human Impacts
By Gary N. Roderick
The American Geophysical Union estimated that 54 percent of the total phosphorus (TP) flowing into the worlds surface waters comes from domestic human waste (biosolids) while agriculture contributes 38 percent. That’s a whopping 92% of the phosphorus pollution sourcing from people.
While failing septic systems are increasing nitrogen impacts to coastal and surface waters, our current response converts septic systems to central sewer and other wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs) which produce Class AA and Class B biosolids. Currently, the biosolids are used as an inefficient fertilizer source in pastures and contain 2.5 times the nitrogen and at least 10 times the phosphorus crop requirement.
As of 2018, approximately 70% of Floridian’s waste goes to one of the 4,100 permitted WWTFs. The WWTFs produce 412,000 dry tons of Class AA and Class B biosolids. In any given year, there are 80 to 115 Class B biosolid land application sites and 35 to 45 Class AA biosolid composting sites in Florida. Class AA biosolid “fertilizer” and Class B biosolids contain the same amounts of nutrients – an unsuitable combination for Florida’s phosphate rich soils.
Of the 412,000 dry tons of Class AA and Class B sludge produced in Florida, about 20% goes to the landfill. The remaining 80% or 14.5M lbs. of phosphorus is land applied on pasture and citrus which is grown in phosphatic soils. If only 12% of the land disposed total phosphorus is discharged to surface waters that would equate to 1.74M lbs. being discharged to surface waters. And we know that excess phosphorus is the trigger for harmful algal blooms in fresh water systems.
To make matters worse……
The US Environmental Protection Agency has identified 352 pollutants in both Class AA and Class B biosolids, 61 designated as acutely hazardous, including pollutants termed PFAS/PFOS “forever chemicals”. These chemicals accumulate in the human body, causing serious health issues. Extensive soil testing done by the State resulted in Maine being the first state to ban the land disposal of human biosolid waste due to PFAS/PFOS contamination.
A Sustainable Solution: Upcycling
In August of 2023, the Village of Indiantown approved a lease agreement with Sedron Technologies in Indiantown that will create a water and sanitation solution using a mechanized vapor recompression and distillation (VRD) process. The process dewaters and dries effluents from wastewater treatment facilities, recovering the nitrogen as ammonia. This results in a high-nitrogen fertilizer, available to agriculture while eliminating a portion of the three percent of worldwide greenhouse emissions, currently coming from the production of nitrogen fertilizer. The facility had it’s “groundbreaking” on April 24th, 2026. It is being constructed with private funding and will be capable of handling the waste cost-effectively from the regional wastewater utilities.
Phosphorus in the VRD process is segregated in “solids” and since many of Florida’s phosphatic soils are saturated with legacy phosphorus rather than dumping this material on rural lands this product can be used as a supplement fuel in kilns to produce cement. Sedron Technologies has also indicated they have additional technologies that could be combined with their VRD technologies to power up to a 5 MW or greater electrical power plant based on “boiler technology” and can provide and sell the electricity to the grid. Any carbon dioxide from the process is scrubbed and converted to a soil supplement called “biochar” that can help remediate “forever chemicals” currently in the soil and sequester carbon.
For more information on the Sedron/Synagro upcycling facility being constructed in Indiantown you can contact Taryn Kryzda, Village Manager, Village of Indiantown, email: tkryzda@indiantown.gov, Ph: (772) 597-8282
Comments