TO: Indian River County Board of County Commissioners
THROUGH: John A. Titkanich, Jr., County Administrator
Sean C. Lieske, Director of Utility Services
Howard G. Richards, PE, Manager, Capital Projects
FROM: Paola Talavera, EI, Associate Engineer
DATE: October 31, 2025
SUBJECT: AtkinsRéalis Work Order No. 10 for Sebastian Septic to Sewer Conversion Feasibility Study, IRCDUS Project ID 21.26.502
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BACKGROUND
Over the past decade, public awareness of the need to improve the water quality of the Indian River Basin has grown significantly. This has led to increasing regulatory pressure on utilities to reduce pollution and improve the quality of discharges into the Lagoon. One major initiative is the recently established Indian River Lagoon Protection Program (Florida State Statute 373.469). Under this statute, all existing conventional septic systems in the Indian River Lagoon Basin are required to either connect to sewer systems or upgrade to enhanced nutrient-reducing onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems by July 1, 2030.
The Indian River County Department of Utility Services (IRCDUS) is undertaking a multi-phase Septic to Sewer (S2S) Program to convert residential and commercial properties on septic systems to the IRCDUS sewer network. Septic to sewer conversions are necessary to limit the amount of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, released into the ground by septic systems, which can contaminate groundwater and nearby water bodies.
In the City of Sebastian, Phase III of North Sebastian S2S conversions are currently underway, with Phase I and II having been completed in April 2019 and June 2023 respectively. The North Sebastian area encompasses an area generally described as having a western limit of US Highway 1, an eastern limit of the Indian River Lagoon, a Northern Limit of Indian River Drive connection to US Highway 1, and the ...
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