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State grants fund Martin County septic‑to‑sewer and stormwater projects, including $12.5M New Monrovia award
Summary
Martin County officials said the state awarded grants that include $12.5 million toward a Porcelaino/New Monrovia septic‑to‑sewer project (about 850 connections) and roughly $1 million for a Western Martin County stormwater treatment project adjacent to Hawkes Hammock.
Governor DeSantis announced awards in the latest round of state water‑quality grants, and Martin County officials said the awards include major support for local septic‑to‑sewer conversions and a partnership‑driven stormwater project.
Environmental Resources Division Administrator John Mayle said the county requested $12,500,000 for the Porcelaino/New Monrovia septic‑to‑sewer project, which he said is roughly 850 potential connections. Mayle said the county’s objective is to reduce homeowner hookup costs to about $10,000–$12,000 per unit. "That 12 and a half million should go a long ways," he said.
Mayle also said the county received a $1,000,000 state grant for a stormwater and water‑quality project in western Martin County near Hawkes Hammock. The project leverages an innovative approach: using existing county‑owned conveyance ditches to incorporate water‑quality treatment features rather than acquiring new land. Mayle said the site was one of roughly 50 miles of county conveyance identified as potentially suitable for built‑in water‑quality features.
County staff estimated the Hawkes Hammock project will be about $3,000,000 in total, with approximately $200,000 of county funds once partner funding is included. The approach relies on partnerships and engineering that retrofit existing drainage conveyances into treatment features, reducing land‑acquisition costs.
Mayle described other stormwater retrofits under way, including Eastport Creek (near U.S. 1 in Hope Sound), East Fork Creek Phase 2, and a planned fall project in Manatee Pocket. The county also described designing stormwater treatment areas (STAs) tailored to each basin’s hydrology and nutrient profile.
On septic conversions, the county said it is pursuing a multi‑year modeling effort (described as a 4½‑ to 6‑year exercise) to demonstrate phosphorus reductions from septic‑to‑sewer conversions so the county can seek phosphorus credit under its Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP). Currently, counties receive nitrogen credits for conversions but not phosphorus; the modeling study aims to provide empirical evidence to change that accounting.
County officials said they will continue to pursue state and federal funding to leverage local dollars, and that the combination of septic conversions and stormwater retrofits is central to their water‑quality strategy.
