FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 22, 2014
$1 MILLION INVESTMENT IN MACCLENNY
TO BENEFIT LITTLE ST. MARY’S RIVER
~Aging wastewater system
infrastructure to be replaced in Baker County~
Note: Please use this updated version.
TALLAHASSEE – Much of the city of Macclenny’s wastewater system is more than 50 years
old and consists of old vitrified clay and some cast-iron pipe. It will soon be
replaced thanks to a $1 million investment from the state of Florida.
“This wastewater system has reached the end of its life, and to ensure
that Turkey Creek and the Little St. Mary’s River are protected, it is time to
replace it,” said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. “This is a major
project and a great investment for Florida’s environment.”
"I am excited by the $1,000,000 going to the city of
Macclenny for sewer system replacement," said Sen. Charlie Dean. "This project will help address an issue where, in any of our typical
Florida thunderstorms, raw sewage enters our waterbodies. This is a prime example of common sense, shovel
ready projects which will have immediate impacts on water quality and I look
forward to it being finished. I applaud
all involved for bringing this project to fruition."
“This investment will help upgrade the city of Macclenny’s dated water
technology,” said Rep. Elizabeth Porter. “The old sewage system is not
protective enough of public health or the environment and this replacement will
change that.”
The Macclenny
wastewater system replacement will involve four major components. The first is
the design, permitting and construction of a pump station and force main to
eliminate existing aboveground gravity sewer located in the flowline of Turkey
Creek. The city will also be performing a thorough inspection of the bulk of the
existing system to aid in the replacement plans. This involves inspecting
146,000 linear feet of sewers and manholes using video.
The inspection
information will lead to the third component of the project, which is planning
and creating specifications for the replacement. Finally, the city will replace
and rehabilitate the system. Any funding from the first three phases that is
not used will be used in the replacement phase.
The project is
anticipated to be completed by the end of 2016.
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