An Islamorada wastewater system plagued in recent years by line breaks and overflows will be resolved, following a state order and subsequent agreement between the village and Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District on the fixes.
At a special meeting on Nov. 17, council members were briefed on a response and remedy plan to the wastewater collection system issues, which were highlighted in a recent consent order by Florida Department of Environmental Protection. An Oct. 15 report by DEP noted a series of violations with the village’s system, including six sanitary sewer overflows and discharges, from May 2021 to as recent as last March. The incidents were in violation of state regulations which prohibit sewage, wastewater or biosolids from being disposed of without treatment.
The consent order also addressed the fact no progress was made to construct an inline booster pump station on North Plantation Key, despite DEP providing a permit for the work in December 2023. An inline booster pump station increases pressure and moves wastewater through the system, especially over long distances to a treatment plant.
Tom Brezezinski, chief business officer of engineering firm Wade Trim, said the wastewater pipe sending effluent from Islamorada to the Key Largo treatment plant has suffered breaks in the area of MM 92 in Tavernier in recent years. He told council members the pipes are breaking longitudinally, and he believes the pipe wasn’t properly installed. Brezezinski explained the pipe is supposed to be installed roughly halfway into the valve.
“That allows the pipe to move a little bit inside the ground when it has transients (or pressure surges), it allows the pipe to be a little flexible,” Brezezinski said. “When the pipe is installed all the way in, it can’t move. When the pumps turn on at NPK and start pushing water toward Key Largo, everything’s fine. When those pumps stop, all the water energy from Key Largo starts coming back and the water is smashing into one another.”
Brezezinski said they will analyze the transient hydraulic loadings in the pipe and dig up sections where the break occurred and look at these joints.
But the heart of the consent order hones in on construction of a new inline booster pump on North Plantation Key, Brezezinski said.
“If you corner someone at DEP and ask why, it’s because we haven’t built this pump station yet,” he told council members.
Brezezinski said the inline booster is designed to keep a consistent pressure in the conveyance force main to the Key Largo treatment plant.
“Theoretically, it never shuts off, but the flow changes. This will prevent water from crashing into each other,” he said.
Per the consent order, the inline booster station must be built and completed by Dec. 21, 2027. Project costs were roughly $4 million based on an estimate two years ago. Brezezinski said the price tag is expected to be higher with construction costs rising.
Agreement follows tough talks
Completed in 2016, the village’s wastewater system is composed of several vacuum pump stations from Lower Matecumbe to upper Plantation Key. Some areas are served with a low-pressure force main collection system.
Once collected, all effluent is transported via force main to the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District’s plant at MM 100.3 for treatment and disposal. Islamorada is KLWTD’s largest customer.
Past discussions between the village and KLWTD over improvements to address the issues at North Plantation Key pump station and line breaks didn’t yield agreement among the entities’ engineers. KLWTD’s engineers in Weiler Engineering Corporation (WEC), said the village can make immediate wastewater improvements to prevent recurring issues. Those include repairing and coating the existing equalization tank, or a storage tank in wastewater treatment to buffer and stabilize the inconsistent flow of incoming wastewater, and reducing the transient pressure waves during pump shut-down. In the long term, WEC said, the village should build a new, properly designed equalization tank.
WEC said the pump station’s poor condition is outlined by the village’s engineering consultant CHA. Not only are sewage pumps plugging due to rags, but the existing equalization tank, which is a repurposed concrete wastewater treatment plant, is in poor structural condition and will likely fail in the future.
As for Islamorada engineers in Wade Trim, they believe an inline booster pump station reflects a balance of technical, operational and community considerations. Wade Trim said the booster station eliminates odor impacts, improves reliability and reduces long-term capital and operation and management costs while continuing to meet the village’s obligations under the consent decree and interlocal agreement.
Past talks were also affected as the village saw constant turnover at the manager position.
By April 2025, the village hired Ron Saunders as village manager. In the ensuing months, discussions were reopened in hopes of finding a solution. Then came the DEP’s consent order on Oct. 15, which put a clock on addressing issues with the village’s wastewater system.
Peter Rosasco, KLWTD general manager, acknowledged they’re supporting the village’s plan as outlined by Brezezinski.
“I’m happy that we are now working together, communicating regularly and effectively. We’re happy we’re moving with this now,” Rosasco said. “There were some issues that weren’t very pleasant. We’re beyond that now and we’re looking forward to working cooperatively with the village and bringing the project to completion.”
Islamorada Mayor Sharon Mahoney said she’s been pushing for cooperation and collaboration among the entities for the past three years.
“I’m so glad everyone’s singing Kumbaya now. It wasn’t pretty a couple years ago,” she said.
Councilwoman Anna Richards said she’s looking forward to the horrendous smell going away from the North Plantation Key pump station.
In complying with DEP’s consent order, the village is also seeking to conduct an in-kind project in response to the $11,320 in fines imposed. Peter Frezza, village environmental resources manager, said the project will involve the planting of green buttonwoods to restore a disturbed section of land across from Three Waters Resort on Windley Key. Frezza said the property was recently used as a staging area for construction equipment for the water transmission main installation. The in-kind project will cost $18,812.50.
DEP’s consent order also requires the village to provide a compliance plan and implementation schedule by Jan. 6, 2026. Progress reports are also required every January and June until the consent order is closed.
