VERO BEACH — The Vero Beach City Council directed utility and planning staff to come up with a set of changes to city code that could require that new homes be connected to sewer system, provided it is available, and not septic systems.
A majority of the city council members said the city needs to get on board with the issue that sewer systems are a preferred alternative to septic systems, which can leach into the lagoon.
Mayor Craig Fletcher pushed for sewer hook ups many years ago but said at the time, there was very little buy-in for it.
In 2007, city residents on the beach were told it would cost about $12,000 per home to integrate over to a sewer system. The measure died for lack of interest, Fletcher said.
“I contend to this day that septic tanks are a point of pollution,” Fletcher said. “…It is something that we need to address. It is just absurd to have septic (tanks) draining close to the water system like that.”
Any new changes could affect residents attempting to replace failed systems as well as homeowners with tanks close to the water or at a low-lying level.
Joining Fletcher in the call to address the matter and come up with more stringent guidelines were council members Pilar Turner and Dick Winger.
