Brooksville, Hernando County discuss interim wholesale wastewater agreement

The City of Brooksville and Hernando County staff outlined an interim interlocal wholesale wastewater agreement that would let Hernando County treat wastewater from defined Brooksville properties while the city expands its own treatment capacity.

Richard Weeks, Brooksville public works director, told the joint meeting the county would accept and treat up to 493,000 gallons per day under the proposed arrangement. “This agreement provides an interim solution while the city expands its wastewater treatment capacity,” Weeks said.

Under the terms described, the city would build and pay for necessary connections, force mains and metering facilities. Once installed, the county would own and maintain the metering facility; the city would maintain its upstream system. Billing would be based on monthly meter readings, and until the county adopts a wholesale rate the city would pay the existing commercial class rate. In addition, Brooksville would pay a capacity reservation charge of $5.68 per 1,000 gallons instead of the usual connection or impact fee.

The presenters said the agreement has a 10-year term but may end earlier once the city expands its plant and operations. Both parties must comply with U.S. EPA, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and Hernando County regulations; Brooksville will enforce the county’s pretreatment requirements within its system, Weeks said.

County and city staff characterized the arrangement as an interim, precautionary measure to ensure capacity for new development in Brooksville while permanent facilities are completed. The agreement, as presented, was informational at the joint meeting; staff said it will be forwarded to the Brooksville City Council and the Hernando County governing body for formal approvals. If those approvals are received, staff said engineering and design work would follow; Weeks estimated a 2–3 year timeframe for construction after approvals and design.

No formal vote or final action on the agreement was recorded at the joint meeting. Presenters thanked both jurisdictions’ teams for collaborating on the draft language and stood ready to answer questions from elected officials.

Next steps identified in the discussion included forwarding the agreement to each governing body for approval and, if approved, initiating engineering and design work. The presentation did not include a detailed construction schedule, financing plan or a county wholesale rate for wastewater service.