Sunshine Sentinel

Florida leaders are making a heavy investment in treating wastewater to improve water quality statewide, the governor's office said Sept. 24.

Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Melbourne Beach last month, where he, along with local officials, said the state would provide $114 million in grants to treat wastewater through the Wastewater Grant Program. 

"... We are celebrating a suite of projects that will help prevent or reduce the amount of nutrients going into the Indian River Lagoon, to help reduce the frequency and duration of harmful algal blooms, help restore seagrasses, and protect marine ecosystems," Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Shawn Hamilton said in the release.

The Wastewater Grant Program was established through the Clean Waterways Act and funded by the Florida Leads budget to help reduce statewide nutrient pollution. The $114 million aid in between various projects, $53 million, will go to the Indian River Lagoon.

"The Indian River Lagoon is the lifeblood of Brevard County," Rep. Randy Fine (R-Palm Bay) said in the release. "It is our primary source of recreation, tourism, and economic growth. And for far too many years, it has suffered, and its future has been ignored." 

Other projects suggested for the initiative include upgrading 3,000 traditional septic systems to include nutrient waste removal, providing advanced water treatment, and converting septic tanks to central sewers. 

The governor's office said that the efforts are projected to reduce an estimated 62,000 pounds of total nitrogen and more than 5,000 pounds of phosphorus per year.

"I am happy to join DEP and project partners here today to celebrate these projects that will help protect and restore the lagoon for future generations," DeSantis said in the release.