City Manager's Annual Report Annual Report 2018 | A Year In Review | Page 35

STEWARDSHIP
Septic to Sewer Conversion
Backlog Decreases
Hiring a contractor to assist with the outstanding
backlog of residential conversions was a must for
the Utility Systems Department. In January 2018,
there was a backlog of 265 sewer conversions
and a waiting period of up to 10 to 12 months
for customers. Thanks to the collaboration with
Accurate Septic, the waiting period is now 6 to
8 weeks with a backlog of 43 as of November
2018.
Utility Systems’ install crews work ahead of the
contractor by tapping the mains and running
the sewer line service to the property line. The
contractor then installs the new system. This
process has allowed the City to install a combined
average of 30 septic-to-sewer conversions and
new construction sewer systems each week.
An estimated 17,742 septic systems remain in the
service area. Customers are required to connect
to City sewer when their septic system fails. Since
1999, 7,974 septic systems have been taken
out of service and have been converted to City
service. With 22,758 new construction accounts,
the combined total of new connections to the
City’s low-pressure sewer system is 30,732.
McCarty Ranch Water Quality
Project Becomes a Reality
The McCarty Ranch Extension Water Quality Project broke ground on Area 1 in December 2017 with the help of
grant funding from South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) for $200,000 and Florida Department of
Environmental Protection (FDEP) for $425,000.
Area 1 now is complete and capable of pumping and storing approximately 1 billion gallons of water annually. That
total includes more than 692 million gallons of excess fresh water from the C-23 Canal during the wet season and
captured rainfall from the site. Keeping that water from the C-23 Canal will reduce an estimated 2,020 pounds of
Phosphorus, 9,813 pounds of Nitrogen, and 43,291 pounds of Suspended Solids annually.
This entire project is converting approximately 1,871 acres of fallow citrus grove to a shallow water storage facility
consisting of six reservoirs and, once fully completed, will keep nearly 9 billion gallons of water from entering the
North Fork of the St. Lucie River annually. This will result in a 21 percent reduction in excess freshwater discharge
from the C-23 Canal into the river, along with capturing an annual average of 53 inches of rain on the property,
reducing the need to discharge into the North Fork.
Construction of Area 2 is expected to begin in January 2019. Grant funding for Area 2 has been received from the
State Legislature for $1,080,000; Indian River National Estuary Program for $300,000; and FDEP for $644,020. The
City purchased this extension of McCarty Ranch in 2014 for $10.7 million. The Water Quality Restoration/Storage
Project is the precursor to the City’s future alternative water supply.
CITY OF PORT ST. LUCIE 2018 ANNUAL REPORT
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