INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A new effort to reduce pollution in the Indian River Lagoon is moving forward after county officials approved additional funding for a mobile marine pump-out program designed to service boats on the water.
The initiative, first identified as a need in 2023, is intended to address gaps in access to waste disposal for vessels that cannot reach marina pump-out systems.
Kylie Yanchula, the county’s natural resources director, described how the service will function and its environmental purpose.
“It’s basically a boat designed to remove sewage waste products or septage from other boats and then offload them for proper treatment. So these boats basically help to prevent the discharge into water bodies,” Yanchula said.
County officials said the program was developed after identifying limited pump-out capacity, prompting plans to deploy a vessel capable of traveling directly to boats and safely handling waste.
With the latest round of funding, the program is set to move into its next phase through a partnership between local organizations and government entities.
“The Clean Vessel Act grant, that provides a 75% cost share to purchase the vessel. Then the Indian River Land Trust here today has a proposed donation of the 25% cost share,” Yanchula said. “The Clean Water Coalition is also here today with a proposed donation of $10,000 towards the operations of the vessel. And then the City of Vero Beach, we’re pending the city approval for that agreement, but they intend to be a partner based upon staff’s recommendation at this time.”
Supporters of the program point to increased boating activity as a factor contributing to water quality concerns in the lagoon.
Judy Orcutt, president of the Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County, said the growing number of vessels, including some used as long-term residences, has added pressure on the waterway.
“The majority of the boaters are tourists. They’re exploring the intercoastal waterway and the way to the keys or points beyond, but many of them find Vero Beach a great place to live. But there’s others who simply find that living on a boat in the Indian River Lagoon is a really inexpensive way to live the Florida dream,” Orcutt said. “The price to be paid for all those people out there enjoying the Florida dream is the direct discharge of raw sewage into the lagoon. So even though we have a state law that says it’s illegal to dump anywhere inside the lagoon, many boaters do it.”
She said limited access to disposal options can make compliance difficult for some boaters, particularly those anchored away from shore.
“If you’re at anchor, living at anchor, and then your holding tank gets full and you have to pull anchor to find a place to dump your sewage and then go back and put your anchor in again, it’s really a lot of work. And so it’s easier to just open the valve, flush it, it’s gone, out of sight, out of mind,” she said. “The other legal option is to take your boat three miles offshore and dump. But a lot of these boats in the Indian River Lagoon never see the open sea. They just do the inland waterway. So it’s just not happening.”
County commissioners approved funding contributions from the coalition and the Indian River Land Trust to help support the program’s launch and operations.
Commissioner Joseph Earman emphasized the scale of the issue and the potential impact of the new service.
“This is big. People don’t know how much of a problem this is. I know the city of Vero Beach has been battling it for years with anchorage and other places. It’s huge. It’ll make a difference, it really will,” Earman said.
The mobile pump-out service will operate multiple days each week and will be offered at no cost, with the goal of reducing nutrient pollution and protecting water quality in the lagoon.