On septic in Indian River County? What the July 1, 2030 deadline means for your home

If your house is on a septic tank anywhere near the Indian River Lagoon, a state deadline is now four years away. In 2023 the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 1379, which created the Indian River Lagoon Protection Program. Under it, by July 1, 2030, any home or business with an existing septic system in the program area must connect to central sewer if it is available, or upgrade to a system that removes at least 65% of the nitrogen.

Indian River County is now contacting owners. The county says about 28,000 properties with septic systems sit inside the lagoon protection area. Fewer than 1,000 of them are in places where public sewer exists or is planned, according to county utilities director Sean Lieske. The county is mailing letters, followed by a second letter and an automated phone call, to roughly 463 properties that are close to an existing sewer line right now.

Your two options

• Connect to sewer, if it is available at your property. The county builds the main line and runs a lateral to your property line. You pay for the pipe from your house to that lateral.
• Upgrade to an enhanced nutrient-reducing (ENR) septic system, if sewer is not available. These systems must remove at least 65% of the nitrogen. Since January 1, 2024, every new septic system in the lagoon protection area has had to be this type.

What it costs

These are the ranges county staff gave residents at public workshops in September. Your number depends on your lot, the distance to the line, and whether your connection can run downhill.

• Connecting to a gravity sewer main: $5,000 to $8,000 for the owner.
• Connecting with a lift or grinder pump, when gravity will not work: $11,000 to more than $20,000.
• Retrofitting an existing septic system to ENR: $15,000 to $25,000.
• ENR maintenance and inspections: $1,200 to $2,000 a year.
• Closing out the old tank: a separate cost, with an abandonment permit and inspection from the Florida Department of Health.

City of Vero Beach water customers: a second bill item

Separately from the state law, the City of Vero Beach is adding a Wastewater Readiness-to-Serve Charge for homes that get city water, use septic, and have sewer available nearby. It starts at $40.85 a month and rises to $54.24 by October 2029, with 75 days' notice before it begins. For those homes, connecting sooner may stop paying for a sewer line you are not using.

What to do this month

1. Look up your address. The county's program site, ircs2sprogram.com, has a search tool that shows whether sewer may be available at your property.
2. Open every letter from the county utilities department. The first notice is how the clock starts for many owners.
3. Get more than one price. The county's utilities director urges owners to hire a licensed and bonded plumber, especially for gravity connections where the slope of the pipe matters.
4. Do not wait for 2029. County staff warned that the longer owners wait, the higher the costs will climb with inflation and demand for plumbers.

Questions go to the county's program team at projectinfo@IRCS2SProgram.com or 772-770-5300.