OUA reports completion of two vacuum station tests, Army Corps permit and homeowner hookups remain to be resolved
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Summary
Okeechobee Utility Authority staff said vacuum pump stations 4 and 5 have completed testing and the authority is readying household connection bids subject to DEP certification; the Okatani pipeline awaits an Army Corps permit to go under the levee and questions remain about abandonment of on‑site septic systems and septage disposal options.
The Okeechobee Utility Authority updated the Board of County Commissioners on multiple sewer projects, reporting recent testing milestones and outlining remaining permitting and homeowner‑connection steps.
John Hayford, speaking for the OUA, said two components of the Southwest Service Area collection system — vacuum pump stations (VPS) 4 and 5 — have completed testing, and the authority is working through final punch‑list repairs. "4 has been tested and completed the testing weeks ago. And yesterday, we completed the testing on Back Station 5," Hayford reported. He said the OUA will submit as‑built information to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for certification, after which the systems could reach substantial completion and household connections could begin.
Hayford said the county has prepared three small groupings of roughly 20 homes each to solicit competitive bids from plumbing contractors to install household connections; once bids are known the OUA will determine how to allocate grant money among connection costs and homeowner responsibilities (for example, upfront payment or payment plans).
For Project 3 (the sewer main down to Okatani), Hayford said significant pipeline design was complete down to State Road 78 but that the segment—from Sixteenth Avenue past Fast Bridal to south of Big O—remains to be constructed. He said the project requires an Army Corps of Engineers permit to go under the levee and that the Corps is reviewing RFIs from the engineer; "I'm getting none" in the way of final response timing, he said, and staff will continue follow‑up and offered that commissioners could assist with district contacts.
The board also discussed how to handle existing on‑site septic tanks when homes connect. Hayford described the standard process: septic tanks must be cleaned out and either removed or permanently abandoned by breaking the bottom, caving in sides and backfilling — work performed by a licensed septic contractor. He noted one exception: converting tanks to gray‑water for permitted irrigation uses might be permissible under health‑department rules. On septage disposal, Hayford said regional firms may haul to facilities in Fort Pierce where liquid is treated at the regional plant and solids disposed in a landfill; the OUA will evaluate whether its regional treatment plant could be adapted to accept septage and what permitting or upgrades would be required.
Hayford also said the OUA is assessing ozone and hardness treatment units at surface and groundwater plants and is seeking engineering services to evaluate and, if necessary, produce specifications to replace aging ozone equipment.
The board did not take formal action on the update but asked staff to continue follow‑up with the Army Corps, clarify abandonment permitting and report back on homeowner connection bid outcomes and septage disposal evaluation.
