Milton wastewater management becoming a juggling act as growth outpaces capacity

The industrial park in East Milton, Milton Interchange Park, could receive its own miniature wastewater treatment facility, or package plant, after the Santa Rosa County Commission agreed to give up 80,000 gallons worth of daily capacity at the current wastewater treatment facility in Milton.

It's a proverbial juggling act that will allow the region's economic engine to keep growing even as Milton's existing water treatment facility nears the limits of its capacity. 

The existing plant is expected to reach capacity by the end of 2023. When that happens, there won't be enough treatment capacity for new homes, businesses and other developments to hook up to water treatment, stifling growth. The proposed package plant is a workaround that would allow the industrial park to keep taking on tenants.

The Milton Interchange Park is the newest addition of industrial parks in Santa Rosa County and sits on 192 acres on the southeast corner of the intersection between Interstate 10 and State Road 87.

In September, the Triumph Gulf Coast board, which decides how to distribute settlement money obtained after the BP oil spill, agreed to fund nearly $16 million of the industrial park project, which is estimated to be about $36 million in total. The county is still identifying other funding sources for the project.

Currently, the city of Milton has reserved 180,000 gallons per day of capacity at the existing wastewater treatment facility for economic development projects in the county. Estimates from the county suggest it only needs about half that capacity for all the industrial parks in the area, excluding the planned Milton Interchange Park.

“We have determined that the industrial growth we currently see will only take 100,000 gallons. (The city of Milton) gave us a commitment,” said Interim County Administrator DeVann Cook. “We’re basically releasing that 80,000 (gallons) out of that commitment so they can use it for commercial or other residential usage outside the city in the East Milton area.”

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Milton Interchange Park will need 136,000 gallons in daily wastewater capacity, which a package plant could provide. Interim Assistant County Administrator Brad Baker said it was an all-or-nothing situation where the remaining 80,000 reserved daily gallons could not service Milton Interchange Park.

A package plant is a facility used to treat wastewater in smaller communities or individual properties.

Cook said a potential package facility at the industrial park could pay for itself through fees to those who use it.

“Once we start developing, once we have commitments from folks that they're coming in, then the most economical thing for us is to put in a package plant,” Cook said. “And the people that are coming in, the businesses that would be coming in, we would charge them a fee, just like any utility fee, that would offset the cost of the county for operating costs for building and operating that package plant.”

Baker said the county is now tasked with determining the feasibility and cost estimates for the package facility, adding that the freed-up space will help the current wastewater facility as a new one is being built.

“So, we're freeing (80,000 gallons) of our pledge to go back to other development, because they're so close to capacity. And this is to get all going before the new plant gets on,” Baker said.

Cook said the feasibility and cost findings would not come back to the commissioners for another three to six months.

Santa Rosa County Commission Chairman Bob Cole said at a commission meeting Thursday morning that the county will still work with the city of Milton in building toward the new wastewater treatment facility.

“We’re going to assist in it any way we can, and very possibly have to put some money towards it, but we don't want a partnership,” Cole said. “We don't want to be in the sewage business with the city. The city's going to run that.”

The new wastewater treatment plant project has an extra sense of urgency because it needs to happen before the current plant on Municipal Drive reaches full capacity. The new plant will replace the old facility and will process 8 million gallons of wastewater a day, compared to the current plant's 2.5 million gallon max capacity.