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City of Milton reports permits and rising bids for wastewater project; PFAS and disposal sites remain open questions
Summary
City of Milton officials told the Restore Council the pipeline portion of a North Santa Rosa reclamation project is permitted and under construction, but spray-field permits remain pending; combined bids for plant and disposal work reached about $85 million versus $52 million in 2021, and city staff said Restore funds under consideration would support the plant expansion (not the pipeline).
City of Milton representatives updated the Restore Council on the North Santa Rosa reclamation project, explaining permitting status, bid results and ongoing concerns about PFAS and disposal locations.
A Milton representative said the pipeline portion is fully permitted and under contract, with roughly two miles already installed and another four-mile section under contract. "The project is fully permitted with the exception of spray field number 3," the speaker said, and added that spray field 3 is being engineered and permit applications are in progress.
On costs, the Milton representative reported bids of about $64,000,000 for the plant before value engineering and about $16,000,000 for disposal work, totaling roughly $80–85 million versus a $52,000,000 bid in 2021. "That's your increase factor," the speaker said, noting why the city is seeking options such as relocating spray fields outside the well-field protection area and investigating PFAS removal technologies.
The council heard that Restore funding being sought would be dedicated to expanding the treatment plant and does not pay for the pipeline or disposal-area construction; the speaker said disposal-area work is being funded from city cash on hand and savings. The Milton representative said the city is exploring PFAS removal systems but also noted that no treated-effluent standard for PFAS currently exists and that sources of PFAS in the waste stream include Naval Air Station Whiting Field and other industrial discharges.
Public comment raised questions about federal NEPA requirements for Restore-funded projects and whether a previously lost $9,000,000 grant for Milton resulted from legal insufficiency; staff replied that federal environmental procedures are used in application review and NEPA questions are part of the process.
What’s next: Milton city council was scheduled to make a decision about value engineering and next steps the week after the Restore Council meeting, and the county staff will continue monitoring permit progress and project costs before committing Restore funds for the plant expansion.
