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Okeechobee utility authority updates vacuum-collection and Okotany pipe projects; commissioners push developer cooperation on ROW
Summary
OUA reported delays getting as-built and certification documents for vacuum collection stations; commissioners pressed a developer to cooperate on right-of-way for a DOT bypass that would facilitate utility extensions.
The Okeechobee Utility Authority told county commissioners it is close to completing the Southwest Service Area vacuum-collection work but is still waiting for contractors to supply as-built drawings and certified testing so parts of the system can be placed in service.
OUA General Manager John Hayford described two related projects: Project 2, the vacuum-collection system serving Eagle Bay/Old Dixie, and Project 3, pipeline work toward Okotany. Hayford said the contractor remains behind on as-built documentation and DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) certification for one vacuum station; staff expects the as-built package for the southern element (Vac Station 4) soon but had no firm date for the northern element (Vac Station 5). He said the authority is preparing bidding packages for connection work on the first roughly 50 homes so the agency can price residential connections and compare those costs to available grant funds.
On Project 3, Hayford said the pipe segment from Eagle Bay to the Old Dixie facility is complete and that the next segment—originally planned to Wolf Road and Fast Break—has been extended to Big O to reach more users. He said Army Corps of Engineers permitting remains outstanding and that the authority awaits the Corps’ permitting constraints before final design of the last section into Okotany. Hayford’s engineer said an outstanding RAI for the Corps concerns geotechnical analysis and expects a response within about two weeks; Corps timing beyond that is uncertain.
Commissioners pressed for cooperative solutions where a proposed private development sits in the planned corridor for a future FDOT bypass. Several commissioners urged staff to tell the developer that, if they plan to build in Okeechobee and will use county utilities, they should cooperate on easements or rights-of-way rather than force the county to seek alternate routing. Commissioner discussion referenced a nearby parcel where owners had previously granted an easement along the FDOT right-of-way; commissioners said a similar approach should be pursued on the north side of the proposed bypass to avoid duplicate excavation and higher public costs.
County staff volunteered to draft a letter to developers explaining that coordination on right-of-way is expected for projects that rely on county utilities. Hayford thanked the board for a support letter on the State Road 70 West water-main application to the Department of Commerce and said the authority is working with county staff to connect 10 units to the Pine Ridge facility.
The authority also reported a groundwater-plant pilot: a vendor softening test on five wells has run two weeks and preliminary results reduced hardness from the 280–300 range to the 60s; Hayford said the test will run one more week and that the treated water so far has not been introduced to the system (it’s been disposed to backwash). The authority will evaluate whether the softening approach is suitable for future operation.
