November Water News
- CWC
- 11 minutes ago
- 5 min read
We're Partnering to Speak Up for a Healthy Lagoon!
Indian River County is defined by our water resources - from the Atlantic to the Indian River Lagoon to Blue Cypress Lake, and the extensive wetlands throughout the County. These water resources supply life-giving potable water but also receive our water-borne human wastes.
Many of us have observed the gradual and long-term decline of water quality in Indian River County. We’ve seen the populations of birds, manatees, seagrass and fish decline. It is rare now to see kids swimming or wake boarding in the Lagoon due to unsafe water conditions. Newcomers to Indian River County didn’t experience that previous bounty. They take a boat ride and exclaim about the Lagoon’s apparent beauty, but don’t recognize the impaired water and continuing loss of natural resources.
In light of the forthcoming 2026 elections, CWC, the Pelican Island Audubon Society, and the Indian River Neighborhood Association are partnering together to pursue three related goals:
increase public awareness of water quality decline and the need for State and local funding for sewer infrastructure, wastewater treatment facility upgrades, stormwater management, and preservation of environmental lands,
generate voter demand for the needed State and local funding,
provide a basis for voter-evaluation of current officeholders and 2026 candidates - based on their support for the needed State and local funding.
Government investment in infrastructure is critically needed. Without significant State and local resources, our economy and quality of life are in jeopardy. We can restore our water resources and improve our economy by working together. We invite and welcome the participation of individuals and other environmental organizations to work with us to support sound public policy for our land and water resources - in the upcoming Florida Legislative Session, the 2026 elections, and beyond.
Septic Systems to Sewer
We've tracked the data; the science confirms long term water quality decline in Florida and points to septic systems as a big part of the problem. A State of Florida mandate requires by 2030 that every septic system in Indian River County must either be connected to a municipal sewer or upgraded to an advanced septic system that removes at least 65% of the nitrogen in the wastewaster.
CWC has worked hard to raise money for grants to help Vero Beach homeowners connect to sewer. CWC’s public-private partnership is making it easier for working families to meet the State mandate, support protection of the lagoon while improving their property values. CWC has already helped 54 Vero Beach homeowners secure grants to help cover the $14,000-$16,000 cost to connect to the city's Septic Tank Effluent Pumping (STEP) system. The program targets ALICE families (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) who can't easily afford the connection cost.
"This program ensures that meeting environmental requirements doesn't create financial hardship for working families," said Judy Orcutt, CWC's president.
The initiative brings together six partner organizations: Clean Water Coalition, Indian River Land Trust, Indian River Community Foundation, One Lagoon/IRLNEP, Economic Opportunities Council, and City of Vero Beach. Together, we've raised funding to help 150 families. Eligible homeowners must live in a homesteaded property within the city's water and sewer service area, receive a City of Vero Beach water bill, and meet income guidelines. Funding is first-come, first-served.
Indian River County has acknowledged that many residents cannot afford to meet the State mandate without financial assistance from the State and/or County. As charted at their October 7th meeting, the County Commission authorized County staff to send out Mandatory Connection Notices; however, the Commission deferred action regarding the “infrastructure cost not covered by grants”.
CWC will continue to monitor County and City actions to fulfill the State mandate by 2030. State and local funding are expected to be necessary to meet the State mandate.
Clean Water Coalition HonorsEconomic Opportunities Council
Board Members of Clean Water Coalition visited the Economic Opportunities Council recently to present them with the Lagoon Champions Award. We wanted to recognize EOC's essential role in our STEP sewer connection project.
"EOC has been instrumental in helping families navigate the application process," said Judy Orcutt, President of Clean Water Coalition. "They're assisting homeowners through the paperwork, and in turn, protecting our Indian River Lagoon." Their work processing applications and verifying eligibility has been critical to the program's success.
"We're grateful for partners like EOC," added Keith Drewett, Clean Water Coalition Vice President.
Groundbreaking Marks New Era
for Vero Beach Water Treatment
Community leaders and environmental advocates gathered to break ground on the Vero Beach Water Reclamation Facility at the city’s regional airport, marking a significant step forward in protecting the Indian River Lagoon. The ground-breaking ceremony brought together County officials, City of Vero Beach utilities staff, current and former City Council members, and representatives from local environmental organizations including the Clean Water Coalition.
The current wastewater plant, which was built in 1977 at 17th Street and Indian River Boulevard, has long been recognized as a Lagoon nutrient-pollutant source that is vulnerable to hurricanes. The new facility at the airport site will:
reduce environmental impacts and increase storm resilience.
include advanced treatment technologies to remove nitrogen and phosphorus, which fuel harmful algal blooms in the Lagoon.
“produce reclaimed water for irrigation and integrate with the city’s existing water and stormwater systems.”
The new reclamation facility represents an important public investment in both infrastructure resilience and environmental protection for Vero Beach. Diligent efforts by City staff secured significant grant funding from the State. By upgrading to advanced wastewater treatment and moving its plant off the lagoon, the City is taking steps to safeguard one of Florida's most ecologically significant estuaries.
The project reflects years of collaborative planning between municipal, county, and environmental stakeholders committed to sustainable water management. Congratulations to all involved!
Hot off the presses is the 2025 economic valuation of the Indian River Lagoon, showing it generates $28.3 billion annually in local economic impacts and supports 128,400 jobs across seven Florida counties. The study, conducted by The Balmoral Group for the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, also found that ecosystem services provide over $10 billion in annual value and that habitat restoration projects deliver a 24:1 return on investment.
To read it, click here.
This Tampa Bay Times investigation reveals how Florida regulators and lawmakers have systematically protected agriculture and development industries at the expense of water quality for decades. The state operates an "honor system" that assumes polluters comply with voluntary pollution controls without verification, repeatedly delayed fixing stormwater rules despite learning in 2007 they were ineffective, and blocked mandatory septic tank inspections after pressure from industry lobbyists—while these industries spent over $50 million on lobbying and $200 million on political campaigns since the 1990s.
The result: roughly half of Florida's polluted waterways have seen increasing contamination over the past 25 years. The state approved over 550,000 acres of development even after knowing its pollution controls were flawed, allows builders to add nearly 20,000 septic tanks annually that contribute 5 million pounds of nitrogen pollution, and maintains fertilizer limits designed to maximize farmer profits rather than protect water quality—leading to ecological disasters like the Indian River Lagoon manatee starvation crisis that the state had ironically cited as a "success story" when fighting stricter federal water standards.
Upcoming Events
All Day - February 19, 2026 - Symposium
The 2026 IRLS will explore how new tools and approaches are reshaping research, monitoring, and management in coastal systems.
Topics will include:
Applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and molecular techniques such as environmental DNA
Advances in sensor systems, remote sensing, and autonomous platforms
Innovative uses of established scientific methods to enhance data analysis, visualization, and decision-making
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