Past, Present, Future

The Town has been discussing the need to convert from septic tanks to a central sewer system for several years now. We began the process in 2015 with the commercial properties on Forest Hill Boulevard.

A few years later, water quality became a concern throughout the state of Florida and many communities started to convert septic tanks to sewer such as the Florida Keys, Broward County and West Palm Beach (Pine Lake). The Town Council understood FDEP was focused on the removal of septic tanks across the State. We wanted to be prepared for when they got to us, so in 2019 the Town had a Sewer Master Plan prepared.

Later that year, the Town received a grant of $300,000 from FDEP to design a sewer system. In 2020 we started the design of a sewer system that will eliminate approximately 700 septic tanks. In addition to improving the lake and canals water quality, the elimination of septic tanks will address stormwater quality, and in some instances improve the water system. Homes and businesses within the Town of Lake Clarke Shores Utility Service area are the only ones affected by this design. Palm Springs is beginning its study and analysis of the septic to sewer conversion program now.

As we anticipated, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) added Lake Clarke to their proposed list of Impaired Water Bodies in September 2021. This means Lake Clarke no longer meets FDEP’s water quality standards. The offending pollutants are chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, and vegetation (FDEP calls it LVI, Lake Vegetation Index).

FDEP’s message to the Town was clear, The Town has not been a good steward of the Lake. The Town Council believes the Lake is our most valuable asset, and that we need to do better. Converting septic tanks to a central sewer system will improve water quality. In discussions with FDEP in the winter of 2022, they explained to us the importance of taking actions before they are mandated. This is not the only actions being taken by the Town to improve Lake water quality. We are also working on stormwater swale improvements and illicit discharge enforcement, among others.

The process is to “Design, Permit, Fund, Bid and Build” in that order. The approach makes sense for several reasons. 1. The design and permitting is needed to show we are “shovel ready”. This is key to getting grants. 2. We don’t know actual costs until the design and permitting are complete. 3. After a permit is issued, the project usually has a 12-month window to start construction which gives us time to find grants. And, 4. We must have our funding in place before we commit to a contract with a builder.

We currently have a project in the permitting stage. We refer to it as MICA West. It is a gravity sewer system for Mediterranean Rd. West, Indian Rd. West, Caribbean Rd. West, Arabian Rd. West, Waterway, West Lake Drive (south of Waterway), Wilton, West Ct., Central Ct., and East Ct. We expect permitting to be completed in September or October.

We have an estimated cost for the MICA West sewer project of $3.86M. Following our process, we are working on acquiring funding. The homeowner will be responsible for a portion of the costs. State Statutes require the Town create a Benefit District. Those properties receiving a benefit from the sewer system will pay their proportionate fair share of the costs of designing and installing the system less any grants that are obtained. The Town is also looking to finance the project with low interest federal loans. This will allow the Town to offer 20-year low interest financing to the affected residents. There are 135 homes within MICA West that will receive a benefit. So the proportionate cost for each home will be the (design costs + permitting costs + construction costs – grants) divided by the 135 homes. That number is unknown at this time because we’re looking for grants. We have several applications in the works. The Town expects to have information on our grant applications in October or November of this year. Once the grants and costs are known, we’ll communicate to the MICA West residents the exact information on any assessment and financing.

The cost to actually connect to the sewer system and abandon your septic tank will be an additional cost. FDEP says the average cost is about $5,000 per home. The Town applied for federal 319(h) monies to pay this particular cost. We were denied in 2021, but told to reapply in the fall of 2022.

As mentioned earlier, MICA West is Phase 2. Phases 3, 4, and 5 include Pine Tree Lane and all the streets off of Pine Tree Lane as well as Lake Clarke Dr north of Forest Hill Boulevard. We are currently designing these phases of improvements.

Town of LCS Shorelines Fall 2022 Edition