Santa Rosa County Gets $21M for Septic to Sewer Conversion

Santa Rosa County will receive $21 million to convert septic systems to sewer infrastructure across the Pensacola Bay Watershed, funded through settlements from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The Florida Trustee Implementation Group approved the Santa Rosa County Septic to Sewer Conversion program in July 2024 as part of the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Final Restoration Plan 3. The program will partner with local water utilities to replace septic systems, reducing nutrient runoff that harms water quality.

BP agreed to pay $8.8 billion in damages under the Oil Pollution Act to restore natural resources harmed by the spill. A Trustee Council made up of four federal agencies and the five Gulf states, including Florida, directs the funds. NOAA manages the settlement, the largest environmental damage award in U.S. history.