By Sara Matthis 

Special Sections Editor 

While some neighborhoods in the Florida Keys have been “sewered,” many more homeowners have yet to hook up to a centralized sewage system. It’s a big undertaking and Keys residents need to be fully informed about the process, said local expert Shawn D. Buck. 

As owner of Seaway Plumbing headquartered in the Upper Keys, he advises homeowners to start the process by finding a qualified business to do the work. 

“You’re going to want to know the background of the company that you’re dealing with,” Shawn said. “You want to know that they are licensed, insured and bonded. If you have any questions about the company, a good place to start is with the county clerk.” 

In order to hook up to a centralized sewage, homeowners must install lateral pipes that run from the hook up at the street to the tie-in at the home. Also, the existing septic tank must be pumped out and filled in with approved material. The process must be permitted and properly inspected and approved by a government agency. 

In the Keys, Shawn said, most homes are situated on top of cap rock. The lion’s share of the cost of laying lateral lines is the time and equipment needed to dig the trench for the pipes. Most companies base the cost of the work based on the distance from the street to the house. “Seaway Plumbing’s quote is based on the footage of excavation, from the black box at the street to the connection point at the home,” he said. 

In addition, the septic tank must be emptied, destroyed and filled, a process called abandonment. Buck said that current code calls for the tank to be punctured. 

“We cut a big hole in the bottom. The reason for that is so it won’t float in a hurricane storm surge,” he said. 

Seaway Plumbing does the work in two parts. It starts when the homeowner gets the first notice, signaling that they have a year to connect to centralized sewage. 

“At that point we pull the permits and soon after lay the lateral lines to the house,” Shawn said. “It’s very important that homeowners start as soon as they receive the first notice. If they wait until the last minute, they will find that it will be practically impossible to get permits, inspections and the work done in time. And, as time gets shorter, homeowners will also find themselves paying a premium price.” 

The lateral lines aren’t connected until homeowners receive the 30-day notice.

“At that point, our customers move to the top of the list and we connect them to the centralized sewage system,” Shawn said. “On average, it takes about two days to lay the lines and two days to tie the home into the system.” 

Seaway Plumbing is one of the largest plumbing businesses in the Florida Keys, employing 25 locals. It does work up and down the island chain from Key Largo to Key West and has been in business for seven years. Shawn said he learned the plumbing trade in Michigan before making the move to the Keys. 

“Since I was a boy, my family has been vacationing in the Florida Keys,” he said. 

Much of the Seaway Plumbing’s business is commercial work. “We just finished plumbing the new Florida Keys Electric Coop facility in the Upper Keys and we’re doing work at a Key Largo vacuum station and at the central sewage plant,” Buck said. “But we also do custom residential work.” 

For more information about lateral lines or Seaway Plumbing, call 305-367-3225 or visit www.seawayplumbing.com. Seaway Plumbing is a licensed, insured and bonded company.