Town of Oakland commission adopts OSTDS remediation plan, staff outlines $55.5M septic-to-sewer strategy

TOWN OF OAKLAND — The Town of Oakland Commission on a consensus vote approved an on‑site sewage treatment and disposal system (OSTDS) remediation plan required under state Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) rules, following presentations from Florida Department of Environmental Protection officials, town staff and consultants.

Mayor Shane Taylor and town officials heard a DEP briefing from Ken Weaver, deputy director in the division of environmental assessment and restoration, who said BMAPs translate total maximum daily load (TMDL) targets into local projects and milestones. Weaver told the commission the Lake Apopka BMAP has a total nutrient reduction target of about 108,258 pounds per year and that, in the documents he reviewed, "we're 98% of the way there" for that lake’s overall reduction target.

The plan adopted by the commission pairs DEP expectations with a local inventory and project list compiled by town staff and private consultants. Consultant Tucker Hunter said the team used Department of Health parcel data to identify 905 parcels with permitted on‑site sewage systems inside town limits, six parcels that have already converted to…