In 2017, a power outage at Fort Pierce Utilities Authority's wastewater treatment facility sent 1.25 million gallons of untreated water spilling into the Indian River Lagoon. Today, the utility is quietly funding one of the most ambitious environmental comebacks in Florida. By relocating the entire plant from South Hutchinson Island to an inland industrial area, FPUA has set in motion a restoration effort that could help bring back an estuary still recovering from catastrophic seagrass loss.
The Indian River Lagoon once supported a rich underwater ecosystem, but by 2020, widespread harmful algae blooms had killed an estimated 89 percent of its seagrass. The 2017 spill—though not fined by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which accepted a prevention plan instead—highlighted the vulnerabilities of keeping a major wastewater facility on a barrier island exposed to hurricanes, storm surges, and rising seas. The decision to move the operation inland was driven, according to FPUA, by community concerns about "environmental protection, storm resilience, and long-term sustainability."
The new Mainland Water Reclamation Facility, now under construction on Energy Lane, represents a complete overhaul of how Fort Pierce handles its wastewater. The island facility treats 10 million gallons per day from homes, businesses, and industries including manufacturing, juicing operations, and car washes—all flowing through 116 lift stations before discharge into an injection well more than 3,000 feet deep. The new mainland site will incorporate advanced treatment technology including effluent filters, chlorine contact basins, and modernized sludge handling, designed to withstand tropical storms and ensure more efficient operations for decades to come.
As part of the broader effort, FPUA is also addressing aging infrastructure with Cured-in-Place Pipe lining—a technique that inserts PVC lining into existing sewer pipes and heats it to form a new inner wall. In some areas, those pipes are more than 70 years old. The lining method is cost-effective and avoids the road closures and traffic disruptions that come with full pipe replacement.
Perhaps the most visible symbol of the utility's commitment to the lagoon is happening just offshore. FPUA's Seagrass Restoration Project has already installed 1,064 shoal grass plants and aims to plant 6,700 planting units across 4.9 acres of the Indian River Lagoon near the Fort Pierce City Marina and Manatee Center. Shoal grass is a pioneer species—it spreads quickly and helps stabilize sediments, creating conditions for other seagrass varieties to take root. The work is funded in part through FPUA grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The utility's three-pronged plan doesn't stop at relocation and restoration. FPUA is also expanding sewer service to neighborhoods still on septic systems, targeting a transition that addresses risks of groundwater contamination and backflow that can flow directly into local waterways.
Contractors are now welding sections of high-density polyethylene pipe for Lift Station A, work that will support reliable service and reduce long-term maintenance needs at the mainland facility. The grounds are taking shape—June rainfall has helped landscaping take root, and vegetation continues to fill across the property.
For Fort Pierce, the project represents something rare: a utility company returning resources to the ecosystem it once threatened. If the seagrass takes hold, the Indian River Lagoon may offer a rare example of an estuary healing itself—one transplanted blade of shoal grass at a time.