Fort Pierce - Thursday June 16, 2023: The budget signed into law Thursday morning by Governor DeSantis includes a $5-million dollar appropriation to help pay for the relocation of FPUA's sewer treatment plant.
This critical project removes the existing island sewer treatment plant from the shores of the Indian River Lagoon, and places the new treatment plant five miles west, far away from the lagoon and in an industrial area away from neighborhoods. The project will replace aging infrastructure with new technology, increase resilience, limit potential environmental impacts, and better serve the community.
“The relocation of our aging sewer treatment plant is our single largest active project, and we are proud to bring state support for our project to this community," said FPUA Utility Director Javier Cisneros. “We are eternally grateful to Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, and especially Representative Dana Trabulsy and Senator Erin Grall, for their unending support and for making this appropriation possible."
This appropriation also represents a proactive effort by FPUA to secure grant funding in support of the relocation project and other critical utility projects. FPUA’s Public Affairs and Sustainability Department, focused both on public engagement and grants, has submitted nearly $60 million worth of grant proposals over the last 18 months. “These grants provide a great savings to our customers, who would otherwise be funding these critical infrastructure projects through rates,” said Public Affairs and Sustainability Manager Rachel Tennant.
The upgraded plant will be more energy-efficient and cost less to operate, saving our customers money. Its location next door to the Florida Municipal Power Agency’s natural gas power plant adds a unique sustainability element to the project. The project will reduce an average two million gallons per day of draw from Florida’s aquifers by instead utilizing reuse water from the sewer plant for the 300 MW power plant cooling towers.
To learn more about the relocation project visit www.sustainablesewer.net.