Mark Wise, deputy director for the water and sewer department, reported that a major concrete pour is underway at the Shoal River Water Reclamation Facility, part of visible progress on the county's new wastewater treatment plant.

"This started about 3AM this morning," Wise said, adding the pour involves "about 310 cubic yards of concrete" and is forming the foundation for a main treatment tank. He described the poured structure as the diaphragm that will house the plant's primary biological treatment process.

The project has multiple visible components on site, Wise said, including the maintenance building, a treatment tank, a chlorine contact chamber, an electrical building and the headworks. He estimated there are "probably 50 or 100 workers" on site and said crews are expected to continue working through Thanksgiving.

Wise outlined the project timeline: substantial completion is scheduled for December 2026, after which the county will move into startup and testing. If schedules hold, he said, the facility should begin taking in raw wastewater and start operations in March or April 2027.

Planning and construction updates will be posted on the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners Facebook and Instagram pages, Wise said, where the county will share photos and drone footage as work continues.

The update focused on construction progress and timing; Wise did not provide details about project cost, funding sources or the plant's permitted capacity.