Islamorada outlines sewage remediation plan after DEP order
At a November 17 council meeting Islamorada officials presented a remediation and construction plan in response to a Florida Department of Environmental Protection consent order that recorded multiple collection system failures, including six sanitary sewer overflows between May 2021 and March 2025. The plan addresses pipe breaks, faulty joint installation, and the long delayed inline booster pump permit for North Plantation Key, matters that carry environmental and fiscal implications for Monroe County residents.
Village officials in Islamorada moved to address a string of collection system failures at a special council meeting on November 17, following a consent order issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP documentation cited six sanitary sewer overflows occurring between May 2021 and March 2025, and it noted that the village had not yet constructed an inline booster pump station on North Plantation Key despite a permit issued in December 2023.
Engineering firm Wade Trim briefed council members on the technical findings behind repeated failures of the force main that carries sewage to the Key Largo treatment plant. The firm identified longitudinal pipe breaks near MM 92 in Tavernier and found that inadequate joint installation, combined with transient hydraulic loading, contributed to the damage. Those conditions can allow pressure surges to separate joints and produce destructive flows that overload the system.
Council members were presented with a multi step remediation strategy designed to halt further overflows and meet DEP requirements. The sequence includes hydraulic analysis to identify pressure dynamics and weak points, excavation and repair of damaged joints, and construction of the inline booster pump on North Plantation Key to maintain consistent pressure and prevent damaging transient flows. Officials also reviewed the permitting history and timing, highlighting that the booster pump permit was issued in December 2023 but the station has not been built.
The DEP consent order frames the timeline and expectations for compliance, and the village was briefed on likely costs and a schedule needed to satisfy state oversight. Those financial and scheduling details remain subject to council review and budgetary approval, and officials indicated further meetings will set procurement and construction milestones. Repair work and pump construction are expected to require phased outages or temporary disruptions at points along the force main as crews excavate and secure compromised joints.
For Monroe County residents the immediate concerns are public health and environmental protection, along with potential impacts on tourism and local waterways if overflows continue. The council briefing emphasized the need for timely action to prevent future spills, reduce regulatory exposure, and limit long term costs. The situation also underscores broader infrastructure challenges facing coastal communities that operate aging systems under variable hydraulic loads.
Islamorada leaders will return to the council with final cost estimates and a procurement timeline, and residents should expect additional public updates as designs are completed and work moves toward construction.
