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Atlantic Beach officials say wastewater plant is improving; covering headworks and study proposed
Summary
Residents complained of recurring odors; the utilities director said staff is pursuing short-term fixes (screen covers) and a consultant study to identify small- and large-scale solutions, but does not expect screens to be covered within two weeks.
Residents described recurring odors from the city wastewater treatment plant and pressed staff for timelines and responsibility. The utilities director, Troy Stevens, told the commission the city has made improvements but "we're not there yet." Stevens said staff identified the headworks/influence screens as a significant odor source and is pursuing covers and alternative solutions; he said the city has "been given six months to get this done," and that sourcing/manufacturing the right covers and evaluating other approaches will take time.
Stevens described contacting a firm that fabricates dumpster covers and Hayward Industrial (which has worked with JEA) for ideas. City Manager Bill Killingsworth said the city will hire a consultant to prepare a proposal and study options that range from low-cost short-term actions to multimillion-dollar capital projects; he said staff will return with a prioritized list of improvements and estimated price tags. Killingsworth also told the commission residents expect a push toward a "zero tolerance" approach for odor and asked for more detailed options at the next meeting.
Residents asked for the name of the third-party firm that completed an assessment posted Sept. 16 and for the results of that assessment; resident Michael Manganie specifically asked who the 3rd-party engineering company was and what the assessment found. Stevens said the engineer had drafted a proposal and that staff had reached out to multiple vendors; he reiterated that covering the screens or enclosing the influence structure were potential approaches but each has trade-offs, including operator access and corrosion concerns.
Commissioners pressed for an options list and rough price tags at the next meeting and asked staff to post frequent public updates to the project webpage. Stevens said the headworks covers will not be installed in the next two weeks if the screens are the source of odors, but staff will continue incremental work and return with a consultant proposal and study timeline.
