It's the first step toward a new day in a Miami-Dade neighborhood — new infrastructure that business owners are calling a game changer.
County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava stood alongside property owners and the director of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department to break ground Wednesday on a new "flow."
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WATCH HERE107 properties, including developments to come in North Miami-Dade, are next in line for sewer system expansions through the county's Connect 2 Protect program. The properties will be moving from septic tanks to the county's sanitary sewage system.
“A special benefits area, sewer line, pump stations and everything else tied with going to sewer,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sally Heyman. “Instead of existing, digging going to septic.”
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It’s called the Ojus Sanitary Sewer Expansion, which is part of the county’s Connect 2 Protect program.
The expansion area includes the Ojus neighborhood. It’s a multi-year effort to connect homes and businesses to the county’s wastewater infrastructure, allowing property owners to maximize land use and zoning potential.
Levine Cava told NBC 6 that it’s a necessary step to protect the environment.
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“In Miami-Dade, we have 120,000 properties that are still relying on septic,” Levine Cava said. “9,000 of those are identified as the most vulnerable to sea level rise and we are focusing on properties that are really leading to pollution in the bay and waterways, so it’s really essential that we move forward.”
She added it’s also an important step for growth in the Ojus community.
It's why 107 property owners came together to pay for the project. According to county officials, the property owners will be assessed over 30 years for the entire cost to build.
Ojus property owners like Gustavo Lumer said it’s worth it because they want to build big projects like apartments and shopping, but the current sewage system can’t handle that type of development.
“We were waiting for this announcement to get ready to start,” Lumer said. “With the system and the septic tank, we couldn’t do all this, so it’s a game changer for us and the many other developers who want to come to the area.”
Connect 2 Protect is also part of the mayor’s plan for greater sustainability.
