ISLAMORADA -- It will cost an estimated $1.35 million to repair the Plantation Key Colony sewer system.

Engineers found that nearly a mile of new pipe must be installed if sewer suction is to increase along South Coconut Palm Boulevard, Bougainvillea Street and Woods Avenue.

The work, including engineering, would take approximately a year to complete, according to a report released last week.

The new piping would be larger in diameter than existing pipes, allowing for greater suction to far ends of the PKC system, especially South Coconut Palm, where work crews have had to maintain daily vigil to avoid back-ups.

Money for the repairs will come out of village coffers, since the town in 2008 entered into a legal settlement with contractor WPC Industrial, which completed the PKC system in 2006.