Milton man offers private property to help with wastewater management; city is considering

Alex Miller, Pensacola News Journal
·4 min read

A Milton resident has offered up his private property for the city to use as part of a temporary wastewater management solution.

Earlier this month, East Milton resident Jeff Ates IV presented an idea to the city in which city would be able to temporarily use property that Ates owns for a Rapid Infiltration Basin site. A RIB system essentially sprays treated effluent from a wastewater facility into a basin where it either seeps into the ground or evaporates into the air.

The current wastewater plant on Municipal Drive is expected to reach full capacity by the end of 2023. City officials broke ground on a new, expanded facility early last year, but when bids for construction came back at almost $54 million — nearly double the anticipated amount — the city began looking for ways to drive that cost down.

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The idea suggested by Ates is to provide an additional space for effluent disposal for a temporary period while the city continues to sort out the plant's next steps.

Ates is currently running as a candidate for the county's District 2 commissioner seat. Milton's city attorney, state Rep. Alex Andrade, said Ates' proposal offering land use to the city does not raise any immediate ethical concerns as it relates to Ates' election bid.

"I don't know the details specifically enough regarding what the proposer would expect financially," he said. "So, it's unclear currently whether or not there would be any kind of concern, but on its face, it doesn't pose an immediate concern."

Milton City Manager Randy Jorgenson said the city is evaluating the proposal.

Jeff Ates IV talks about a borrow pit on his property in Milton on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. The city of Milton is considering using it as a temporary Rapid Infiltration Basin (RIB) to help with wastewater alleviation. The city would need to strike a deal with the company currently under lease with the property North American IPS, in order to use the land.

"We are having some research conducted on the use of the existing pit for temporary location of additional effluent being discharged," Jorgenson said.

Currently, the plant is planned for an approximately 25-acre site that sits kitty-corner to the county's correctional institution in East Milton. 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.

The original plan was to lay pipeline from the plant to a property just north of NAS Whiting Field — about 9 miles away — for a RIB system.

Last summer, there was pushback from citizens over the East Milton location, with many voicing fears the effluent could pollute the nearby Blackwater River. A study was launched on a 300-acre county-owned site to determine if it could house both the facility and the RIB system, but an initial analysis concluded that only about 100 acres were suitable. Relocating the plant to that site would have resulted in 30 acres for the plant and 70 acres for the RIB system, which would not meet the initial capacity requirement for the plant.

Jeff Ates IV walks from his truck at the bottom of a borrow pit on his property in Milton on Wednesday. The city of Milton is considering using it as a temporary Rapid Infiltration Basin (RIB) to help with wastewater alleviation. The city would need to strike a deal with the company currently under lease with the property North American IPS, in order to use the land.

City officials have remained steadfast the 25-acre East Milton site is still the best spot for the facility.

Milton officials ultimately pursued utilizing the 100 acres of county-owned property close to the East Milton site for the RIB system, which would allow the facility to send its treated effluent onto empty land. In February, Santa Rosa County commissioners approved the completion of the site analysis for the 100 acres planned for the RIB system and agreed to a deal exchanging the land for treatment capacity at the plant.

Nonetheless, Ates supports the idea of putting the plant on land that is proposed for the RIB system, and using his property, which borders the county-owned site, to help temporarily address space limitations.

"So, by moving (the facility) to the 100 acres, you have hundreds of feet that you can put additional safety measures and additional berms, terraces or whatever you want to encapsulate the spills, mitigate the spills," he said.

Jeff Ates IV drives to the bottom of a borrow pit on his property in Milton on Wednesday. The city of Milton is considering using it as a temporary Rapid Infiltration Basin (RIB) to help with wastewater alleviation. The city would need to strike a deal with the company currently under lease with the property North American IPS, in order to use the land.

Ates emphasized to the News Journal that the property is currently under a lease with the company North American IPS, and if the city decides to move ahead with using the site for a RIB system, it will need to strike a deal with the company, not Ates.

Ates said he is not interested in selling the land, but thought the idea would help the city if it becomes difficult to meet deadlines.

Some Milton residents said the fact the city could get some alleviation on its wastewater issues should supersede the fact Ates is running for public office.

"We're growing and we're continuing to grow. We have got to have a sewage plant. We have got to have protection of our river," said Milton resident Theresa Messick. "The Blackwater River is very, very important. Cooper's basin is very, very important. And if you have an alternative that can resolve the problem, why not do it?"

"Whoever wants to help us find a remedy for this, I appreciate their help," added another resident Pam Mitchell.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Milton wastewater: City exploring temporary use of land for needs