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SANITARY SEWER ELEMENT There are three objectives identified in the Sanitary Sewer Element of the 1982 Comprehensive Plan: 1. Reduce costs of wastewater treatment operations by establishing private owned and county owned subre- gional treatment facilities. 2. Septic tanks may be used whenever feasible. 3. Effect the sanitary sewering of all unincorporated areas consistent with the growth management policies of the Land Use Element. Assessment The County has been successful in providing wastewater service to its residents through a combination of public and private facilities. Since the 1982 Plan, Indian River County has established 2 county -owned wastewater treatment facilities and is negotiating with General Development Utilities (GDU) to purchase its facility for the southern portion of the county. Additionally, the county has taken over several smaller facilities that privately could not maintain minimum operational standards. Finally, the county is making plans for future construction of a wastewater treatment facility in the Northern portion of the county. The county currently serves 29,900 customers, maintains 834,240 linear feet of gravity sewer line, has constructed 419,760 linear feet of force main, and manages 55 lift stations. Indian River County, through coordination by the Department of Environmental Health, issues permits for septic tanks whenever state and local requirements have been met. In recent years, an average of 1000-1200 permits for septic tanks had been issued annually. Through the expansion of wastewater collection and treatment facilities, many of the areas previously using septic tanks have been connected to the County systems. It has been projected that, by 1995, 408 of existing residential units and 60% of existing non-residential establishments will be connected to the county systems. As a result, the number of permits for septic tanks will be significantly lower in the future. The county provides wastewater treatment facilities with revenue derived through impact fees, developer dedications, assessments and other appropriate sources. As a result, in most cases the county has been able to maintain its services consistent with the growth management policies of the Land Use Element. The specific service areas served by the public facilities include: * the southern portion of the Barrier Island, served by the City of Vero Beach; * the Vero Beach Highlands area served by the GDU Plant; 4