Indiantown, FL – In a unanimous vote last week, the Village of Indiantown council adopted master plans for the Village’s water, wastewater and reclaimed water to prioritize and improve existing infrastructure Capital Improvement Plans (CIP) in five-year increments within the Village Utility service area. The master plans identify future expansion of infrastructure within the current utility service areas and plans for the expansion to future areas of development through 2041.
The Capital Improvement Plan’s prioritizations are based on a combination of estimated new development schedules and existing wastewater system deficiencies. Cost estimates of the Capital Improvement Plan are estimated for water projects at $29 million in the next five years and nearly $70 million over the next 20 years, and for wastewater and reclaimed water projects at $37 million and $57 million respectively.
In 2020, the Village of Indiantown acquired the Indiantown Company Inc. (ICI) to upgrade the Village’s water-wastewater facilities. The water and wastewater treatment plants have not been upgraded since 1957. The Village Council obtained more than $10 million in funding from the FDEP State Revolving Fund to jumpstart the program.
“The acquisition was just the first step in the process,” said Village Manager Howard W. Brown Jr. “We then applied for grants and forgivable loans to move forward with initial upgrades to the wastewater plant and collection system and restore the potable water plant.”
He continued, “We are ready to go into our next phase, which is planning, design and funding of the larger Capital Improvement Plan.” A funding rate study is also underway that will look at funding sources for the improvements that may include grants and rate adjustments.
The Village sought and was awarded a Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) State Revolving Fund (SRF) low-interest loan, in the amount of $8.5 million, to acquire ICI’s plant and facilities. The current estimate for the immediate improvements to the water system is $9.4 million and for the wastewater system is $13 million.
An initial analysis of the systems demonstrated that several additional improvements are also warranted. The wastewater utility master plan found several issues including infiltration, undersized pipes, and needed lift station upgrades. The potable water utility master plan also identified several upgrades including the installation of a new membrane filtration system that would eliminate poor water quality in the water distribution system, the replacement of older pipes with new ones and increasing the current pipe sizes to improve potential low-flow fire safety issue in the out-lying areas of the existing Village water distribution utility system, based on system modeling.
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Indiantown is a rural community in Florida's Treasure Coast. First established in the early 1900s, then incorporated on December 31, 2017, it is Florida's youngest municipality with a diverse population of roughly 6,000 residents. While it may be small, its resident engagement is exemplary, and its potential for community building and new business opportunities is enormous. The Village mission seeks to enable economic prosperity and business while building pride and cohesion through hands-on self-governance. www.indiantownfl.gov
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