By James Coulter
The City of Lake Wales, within ten years, will be determining the feasibility of converting a local development from a septic to a sewer system now that it has officially amended its comprehensive plan.
At their regular meeting on Tues. Nov. 19, 2024, Lake Wales City Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the second reading of an ordinance to amend the City of Lake Wales Comprehensive Plan.
The amendment was made to comply with House Bill 1379, which addresses new requirements for municipalities “to close out existing septic tanks and convert connections to public sewer.” Specifically, the bill requires local municipalities like Lake Wales to amend their comprehensive plans “to evaluate the feasibility of connecting homes on septic to sewer.”
According to the bill: “Within the local government’s jurisdiction, for any development of more than 50 residential lots, whether built or unbuilt, with more than one onsite sewage treatment and disposal system per 1 acre, the element must consider the feasibility of providing sanitary sewer services…”
The City of Lake Wales has since identified a development within its jurisdiction that meets these criteria, with it having more than 50 residential lots, and more than one onsite sewage treatment and disposal system per one acre.
As such, City Clerk Jennifer Nanek wrote in the memo that the city will “consider the feasibility of providing sanitary sewer services within a 10-year planning horizon and will identify the name and location of the wastewater treatment facility that could receive sanitary sewer flows after connection.”
Commissioner Carol Gillespie asked whether there were other developments in the city that met the requirement to have their septic systems converted to sewer. Autumn Cochella, Growth Management Director, answered that the city does have a few similar preexisting developments but not many.
“The public work department is in the process of undergoing a wastewater master plan where they are identifying all of those areas,” she said. “Other than that, most of our inner-citydevelopments are on municipal sewer.”
Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson commented on how septic systems contributed to urban sprawl. He explained that septic systems required a certain amount of land to dissipate the wastewater, which required housing to be likewise spread out.
Gibson argued that switching from a septic to a sewer system would cut down on urban sprawl and housing costs, and in the process, preserve the existing countryside. Likewise, most developers considered sewer systems a qualifier for developments, as they are interested in quality developments and not urban sprawl.
“Some people are upset because we are against septic tanks,” he said. “We made a choice. That speaks to who we are.”
