County To Expand Wastewater Plant

BROOKSVILLE - County commissioners on Tuesday voted 5-0 to approve a $2 million budget amendment to hire a consulting engineer and begin expansion of the Ridge Manor Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The $2 million will be transferred out of the utility department's capital project reserve account, Utilities Director Joseph Stapf said.

The money will not come out of ad valorem tax revenue or general rate revenues, Stapf stressed.

Fifty percent of the cost of transmission lines, pumps and storage for design and construction of the facility's reclaimed water portion will come from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

The rest of the funding will come from Hickory Hill LLC, which in turn will receive rights to the first 2 million gallons per day of reclaimed water produced at the plant.

The burgeoning growth on the east side of the county necessitates a plant expansion, Stapf said.

The total cost for the project is $15 million to $18 million and will be paid for through connection fees, developer contributions and at least one grant.

Once completed, the plant on Kettering Road, east of Interstate 75, would be capable of increasing capacity from 750,000 gallons per day to 3 million gallons per day.

Part of the expansion will include the development of reclaimed water production to offset existing and proposed uses of potable ground water for irrigation.

Also at Tuesday's meeting:

• Commissioners assured Spring Hill Fire Commissioner Leo Jacobs that the wording of the referendum asking residents whether they want an independent fire district is proceeding on schedule.

Jacobs said he wanted clear ballot language so as not to confuse voters in November.

• The county received a check for $27,566 as its share of Withlacoochee State Forest receipts for 2006-07. Hernando is one of 25 counties that divide 15 percent of the gross receipts from state forest activities. The money is determined according to the acreage per county.