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County pursues wastewater fixes, engineering options after compliance concerns
Summary
Columbia County advanced a wastewater interconnect bid award and reviewed engineering options including membrane retrofits after consultants warned current plants lack capacity and the county faces DEP compliance timelines.
County staff and consultants told Columbia County commissioners they are pursuing short- and medium-term remedies for wastewater capacity and compliance concerns, and the commission approved a bid award to advance a wastewater interconnect project.
Mr. Kirby (county utilities staff) asked the board to award Bid No. 202513 for an FDOT wastewater interconnect for the Ellisville plant to the low bidder and approve the agreement; commissioners approved the award by voice vote. Staff said awarding quickly will let the contractor order materials before expected price increases.
Shannon Roberts, executive director of the North Florida Water Utility, and engineering consultants from Arcadis reviewed options to bring the Ellisville plant into compliance and increase capacity. Options include retrofitting existing trains with membrane biological reactor (MBR) components or installing membrane-based units; consultants said retrofit options could roughly double capacity (from 25,000-gallon trains to about 50,000 gallons each) and improve nitrogen removal, though full compliance may require additional components. Staff said the MBR retrofit could provide "a lot of bang for the buck" but may not be fast enough to finish a major event readiness timeline (the board discussed risks associated with the upcoming Busy Bee event). Arcadis will produce a summary and staff scheduled a follow-up call with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to align on remedies and possible interim timelines.
Shannon also said grant funding is being pursued to support some work; she anticipates sharing engineering cost options with the board soon. Commissioners asked for copies of Arcadis' recommendations and for staff to coordinate with DEP to seek available time and regulatory buy-in.
Next steps: Arcadis will provide a summary of proposed remedies and estimated costs; staff will convene the scheduled DEP call and bring procurement steps, grant opportunities and timelines back to the commission.
