Charlotte County Utilities
Expansion Projects - Municipal Service Benefit Units
Pirate Harbor wastewater expansion MSBU
UPDATE: October 2008
What is the Pirate Harbor Wastewater Expansion MSBU? In 2006, the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) approved a Municipal Service Benefit Unit (MSBU) to fund the installation of wastewater infrastructure in Pirate Harbor.
MSBUs are created by County ordinance as a funding mechanism to provide specific services to defined areas. The major benefit is that costs are evenly assessed on each property within the unit. All monies collected within an MSBU must be spent within that MSBU. Funds cannot be transferred or spent on a different area. The annual cost of the projects in each MSBU is divided by the total number of Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs) within that MSBU, resulting in an assessment per ERU. More information on MSBUs.
What is the status of this project? The project is complete. Mitchell & Stark completed construction in June 2008 and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has certified the system for operation. In July 2008, all Pirate Harbor property owners were notified in writing that the wastewater collection system is complete and connection to the system is now available. Existing homeowners received a mandatory connection notice via certified mail giving them one year to connect to the wastewater collection system, as directed by County Ordinance #2001-034. Undeveloped lots will be required to connect at the time the property is developed.
What are the costs associated with the MSBU? Costs associated with the MSBU include design, engineering, surveying, construction, land purchases, if necessary, interest on borrowing and other indirect costs. MSBU assessments appear on the annual property tax bill as a non-ad valorem assessment.
Each year, the MSBU is reconciled and adjustments to the rate are computed. The assessment cannot be raised without public notification and BCC approval. The original assessment (established in 2006) to individual Pirate Harbor property owners was $403.24 per ERU, per year for 20 years. Based on the latest adjustment, the assessment for the 2008 tax bills is $290.10 per ERU, which reflects a 28 percent reduction in costs. Property owners still have the option of pre-paying the remainder of the MSBU assessment in full including the remaining interest charges, as all construction loans and associated interest have now been incurred and allocated to the MSBU. Find the current pre-payment amount on a property.
What other costs can I expect? The MSBU assessment covers only the specific project costs of the Pirate Harbor infrastructure, including collection lines, lift stations and other appurtenances needed to serve the community as a whole.At the time of individual connection to this central collection system, additional costs will be incurred by each homeowner for the installation of the onsite individual low pressure sewer (LPS) system, as well as standard CCU connection fees and Accrued Guaranteed Revenue Fees. Each homeowner is also responsible for contracting a licensed electrician to create a dedicated electrical circuit for the LPS control panel.
Connection fees are defined and described in CCU’s Rate Resolution and are subject to change by the Board of County Commissioners. View the current Rate Resolution. Current connection fees are also detailed in the mandatory connection application mailed to existing homeowners.
What happens if I don’t connect? When mandatory connection notices are mailed, CCU records a Notice of Lien on the properties, which serves to notify potential buyers of the mandatory connection status. The Environmental Health Department is also notified that wastewater service is available. If an existing septic system requires repair or replacement, the Health Department will not allow a permit to be issued for this work, and the homeowner will be required to connect to the County wastewater system instead.
After 365 days, a second notice will be mailed to those who have not yet requested connection. This second notice gives an additional 20 days to request connection. After 385 days, a Lien is recorded on the property, though the County traditionally does not attempt to collect on that Lien until such time as the property changes hands. Additionally, CCU will begin to assess a monthly Base Facility Charge for wastewater service, which covers basic maintenance costs and will appear on the monthly Utilities bill.
Why Low Pressure Sewer (LPS)? LPS has long been identified as the preferred alternative for Pirate Harbor. It has been used successfully and safely throughout our community and has been approved and permitted for Pirate Harbor by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Cost was a predominant factor — estimates from two different engineering firms indicated it would cost at least twice as much to install gravity sewer in Pirate Harbor rather than LPS.
There were also numerous technical and environmental reasons for the selection of LPS. The area has a very high groundwater table, shallow bedrock foundation and unstable soil composition, all of which made LPS the most cost-effective alternative. Each onsite individual LPS system contains a small, economical pump to move wastewater from each home into the collection system, thereby reducing to one the larger, expensive community lift stations in the Pirate Harbor system design. A gravity system for Pirate Harbor would have required numerous lift stations, manholes and larger diameter collection mains, all of which would have added significantly to the overall project cost. More information on low pressure sewer.
How will I connect to the collection system? For existing homes, CCU will work with property owners to install an individual LPS system. Once the property owner requests service and pays the CCU wastewater connection fees, CCU staff will make an appointment to locate and inspect the existing septic system and deliver the LPS control panel. The homeowner is responsible for contracting a licensed electrician to create a dedicated electrical circuit and install the control panel. Once CCU is notified that the panel has been installed, CCU staff will return to perform the LPS installation, which, in most cases, should take no more than a few hours.
For new construction, CCU will provide a list of approved LPS contractors and will inspect and approve all work once the installation is complete.
Who is responsible for maintenance? Once the individual LPS system is installed and accepted, CCU will maintain it as part of its collection system. Each LPS system includes an audible and visual alarm to alert the customer if there is a problem. If the alarm sounds, the resident is asked to push the alarm silence button and call the number on the control panel. A CCU LPS technician will immediately be dispatched to investigate the cause of the alarm and make any necessary repairs.
How much electricity does a LPS system use? The LPS system used by CCU requires a minimal amount of energy to operate. It includes a small, ¼ to ½ horsepower pump. Every time you use approximately 100 to 150 gallons of water, the pump will briefly turn on and shut off to pump water from the tank to our collection main. Based on normal water usage for a family of two, the pump will run only about two to three hours per month.
What if there’s a power failure? In the event of an area-wide power failure, the LPS pump will not operate however, there is a built-in amount of reserve capacity in the holding tank, which allows limited water usage (toilets and limited showering; no laundering or other excessive use) until the power is back on line. During an extended power failure or outage, such as we experienced after Hurricane Charley, CCU will try to provide a manual pump out of each individual LPS tank once every three days.
Will the LPS system have an odor? The LPS system is a closed system which normally doesn’t allow sewer fumes to escape to the atmosphere. Fumes could migrate to a building if there is a problem with the internal plumbing, such as a clogged or malfunctioning P-trap, which should be addressed by a private plumbing service.
Will the County replace my landscaping? Will the roads be re-paved? The County will do its best to replace any landscaping disturbed by this project to its original or better condition. Roadways that are impacted by this project will be patched or repaved as needed.
For more information: If you have further questions about the Pirate Harbor wastewater expansion, please contact Customer Service at 941.764.4300.
