VERO BEACH — The Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County recently provided an update on a septic-to-sewer program launched in 2023 to help low-income homeowners connect from septic systems to sewer service. Coalition Vice President Keith Drewett said the success of the initial pilot secured additional financial support to grow the effort.
“The initial funds raised for the pilot program was $240,000 and then came the two NEP grants. One is a water quality priority area grant and one is a priority area home grant and the total funding so far is just under $700,000,” Drewett said.
Using the secured funding, the coalition partnered with local organizations to support ALICE residents — households classified as asset-limited, income-constrained and employed. Eligible homeowners pay $5,500 over 10 years at no interest, which Drewett said breaks down to about $550 a year.
“Take the homestead credit, you have to be owner-occupied so we’re not doing commercial properties, we’re not doing investor-owned rentals and you’ve got to meet the homestead qualification and the income qualification,” he said. “Originally started out at three times the federal poverty level as the income qualified, we moved that up to four times.”
Drewett said partners such as the Economic Opportunities Council of Indian River County have been essential to the program.
“They do the income qualification, they do this for other federal programs and they work with Rob Bolton’s department getting the sign-up process done, the papers signed, the checks prepared and all the proper forms done,” he said.
The original goal was to convert 75 homes to sewer service. That target has since expanded.
“We’ve completed 35 installations, we’ve got approved waiting installation of further 19 and we have 10 out to bid,” Drewett said. “So we’re at about 64 prospective done and prospective installations. We think we have the funding to do about 150 in total.”
However, he said the program faces a deadline that could limit its reach.
“This is use it or lose it. So we have 11 months left to spend this money or it just goes back. There’s no extension,” he said.
Some installations still require considerable work before completion.
“The main lines are not yet in for some of these homes. So that’s yet to be done. So this is a heavy lift,” Drewett said.
He added that the coalition is exploring options that could help accelerate the remaining work.
Drewett said they are open to ideas and potential incentives that may make completing the next 50 homes more feasible.