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City of Lake City to negotiate purchase of NFMIP wastewater plant; board asks for funding plan for deep-well injection
Summary
The Columbia County Commission authorized staff to negotiate with the City of Lake City on purchase of the North Florida Mega Industrial Park wastewater plant, while commissioners pressed for a clear financial plan to fund required deep-well injection work to meet permit obligations.
Steve Brown, executive director for the City of Lake City, told the Columbia County Board of County Commissioners that the city is prepared to negotiate purchasing the wastewater treatment plant at the North Florida Mega Industrial Park and to enter an interlocal agreement guaranteeing service to the mega site. The board voted to allow staff to negotiate with the city.
Why it matters: The plant’s operation and future compliance are tied to a costly deep-well injection solution that staff and the city say is necessary because property constraints prevent using a spray field. Commissioners pressed the city for written cost estimates and a funding plan before any final transfer.
Brown said the city’s preliminary accounting intended to “make the county whole” for prior county investments and mentioned a working figure that staff used to scope the discussion. He also said the city will pursue grant funding and legislative appropriations to cover deep-well injection and other upgrades. “We were informed that the county had roughly ... and there is about a $5,500,000 grant attached,” Brown told the board, noting this was an early, high-level estimate and that the parties still “need to know the math.”
Commissioners emphasized that the deep-well injection work may take two years to drill and test and could cost millions; several asked for a written financing plan, timeline and clearer cost estimates before advancing a purchase. The board approved a motion to permit staff to negotiate with the city and return with specific figures and legal terms for review.
Background: Staff and the city described efforts to reduce load on an existing county plant (Saint Margaret’s), which freed capacity and strengthened the case for using the NFMIP facility. The board and staff also discussed related work such as pump-station upgrades, utility extensions and a possible legislative appropriation request the city recently filed to modify related facilities.
Next steps: County staff will negotiate purchase terms with the City of Lake City, draft an interlocal agreement and return to the board with detailed cost estimates for plant acquisition and for required deep-well injection permitting, drilling and testing.
