LOCAL

Mary Esther set to start major water/wastewater system overhaul

Tony Judnich
Northwest Florida Daily News

MARY ESTHER — City officials plan to kick off the demolition of the wastewater treatment portion of the water and wastewater treatment plant during a public ceremony set for noon Friday.

The event will be at City Hall at 195 N. Christobal Road just northeast of the plant.

Project Manager Roger Batts with Jacobs Engineering Group looks out over the Mary Esther wastewater treatment facility, which the engineering firm manages for the city. Renovations of the plant are set to begin soon and will start with the demolition of the old and outdated wastewater treatment plant, the rectangular set of concrete tanks in the center of the complex.

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Mary Esther officials will be joined by representatives from Jacobs Engineering Group, which manages the plant.

The wastewater treatment portion of the plant has been out of operation since 2003 and, to meet Florida Department of Environmental Protection requirements, it must be demolished, according to city information.

“Over the years, three additional treatment systems were added,” City Manager Jared Cobb said Wednesday. “This provided extra capacity to take systems offline for maintenance or repair. Repairs to the collection system and process improvements have enabled Mary Esther to treat the wastewater more efficiently without the original package plant. This means less equipment to treat the same wastewater.”

The rectangular set of concrete tanks, known as the "package plant," will be demolished as part of renovations and upgrades to the Mary Esther wastewater treatment plant. The tanks, which are among the oldest at the plant, are outdated and no longer being used.

The demolition will cost $248,052 in state revolving fund money.

The work represents the first project in the city’s Water and Sewer Rehabilitation Program, Cobb said.

In late 2019, the Mary Esther City Council approved potentially borrowing up to $30 million to pay for a citywide water and sewer infrastructure rehabilitation project that was estimated to be completed in about 15 years.

The council “adopted a plan drawing on loans or a line of credit to complete the work, but we won’t have a final amount until all the work is completed,” Cobb said.

The City Council also in late 2019 approved a higher city millage rate and higher water and wastewater fees to help pay for the resulting debt.

Monthly updates on various Mary Esther projects are listed at www.cityofmaryesther.com/projects.