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Wakulla County details Otter Creek wastewater expansion, urges public not to flush wipes
Summary
County staff updated commissioners on progress at the Otter Creek wastewater treatment plant, described an ongoing expansion and maintenance program, and warned residents that so-called "flushable" wipes are clogging pumps and raising costs.
Wakulla County officials described ongoing construction and maintenance work at the Otter Creek wastewater treatment plant and urged residents to stop flushing so-called "flushable" wipes.
The plant currently receives an average of about 850,000 gallons a day, county contractor Ned Nobles said, and treated roughly 310 million gallons in the past year. Nobles said the plant treated about 1.9 million gallons of septic-tank waste during the last 12 months and that staff are pursuing a permit to raise the amount of treated effluent the county may send offsite as part of the facility expansion.
“The nitrogen coming to us is about 350 pounds a day, and we get that out the back door at less than 11 pounds a day,” Nobles said, describing the plant’s nitrogen-removal performance. He highlighted a newly built equalization basin and a second treatment train, saying those changes will smooth flows into the biological process and improve treatment efficiency.
Nobles gave a detailed account of maintenance and operations: the utility manages the Otter Creek plant, about 104 pump stations, roughly 1,200 miles of sewer mains and a small water system at the Newport RV Park. He said staff completed more than 2,228 preventive-maintenance work orders in the fiscal year and handled about 3,500 utility-locate tickets in 2024. Repair callouts numbered 93 last year, he added.
Nobles described a manhole-rehab program that applies a protective lining to failing manholes and a lift‑station rehab program intended to reduce emergency repairs. He also described work to raise electrical controls at stations vulnerable to coastal flooding and to add flood‑resistant hatches.
Nobles repeatedly warned that disposable wipes cause unplanned pump pulls and emergency repairs. “If you didn’t put it in your mouth, don’t flush it,” he said. He said wipes and other non‑sewer items require physical removal, increase crane rentals and maintenance costs and can contribute to higher utility expenses.
Commissioners thanked staff and engineers for planning and grant work on the projects. The presentation did not include any formal board action; commissioners heard the update and later moved on to other agenda items.
