The Brooksville City Council has voted unanimously to proceed with Phase IV of the Sewer Rehabilitation project.
This is the latest in a series of sewer improvements. Phases 1 through 3 of the project have taken place over the past 10 to 15 years, according to Brooksville Department of Public Works Jon Dowler.
Phase IV of the project will include correcting structural defects, eliminating sanitary sewer overflows and backups caused by inflow and infiltration, and reduce the amount of water processed and treated at the William S. Smith Water Reclamation Facility. Inflow is surface water being introduced in the collection system such as water from storm gutters, water run-off from parking lots, and elsewhere. Infiltration is groundwater leaking into the collection system.
During the meeting, Dowler told Council members that revenue for the project will be derived from a series of agreements between the City and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
Dowler said that in May, the city entered into an agreement with the DEP State Revolving Fund Program (SRF) in the amount of $3.6 million in order to correct aging infrastructure deficiencies in the City’s sanitary sewer collection system. The loan structure is intended to provide 80 percent Principal Forgiveness in the amount of $2,880,000, with the City providing the other 20 percent in the amount of approximately $720,000.
In July, the City entered into a separate agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to receive Legislative funding in the amount of $360,000 as a portion of the city’s 20 percent.
“That leaves us with $360,000 to pay for (Phase IV) of this project over the next 18 months to 2 years,” Dowler said. “Legislative funding is kind of a bonus for us.”
On Aug. 2 during its regular meeting, the Brooksville City Council voted to proceed with Phase IV of the sewer rehab project by a 5-0 vote.
