BARTOW — Polk County is set to build septage receiving stations at existing wastewater treatment plants in about 18 months.
Once those facilities are up and running, the county could move to ban land disposal of sewage, according to discussion at the county's agenda study on Monday.
On Tuesday, county commissioners will vote to approve an agreement with Hazen and Sawyer, P.C. for $323,000. Hazen and Sawyer, which works to provide safe drinking water and control water pollution, will provide professional engineering services to construct septage receiving stations at Polk's northwest and southwest wastewater treatment plants.
The agreement will be paid for with American Rescue Act Plan funds. The county also received a grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
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If commissioners approve the agreement, septage haulers will be allowed to drop sewage at those two county facilities. The county could eventually extend the services to other wastewater treatment plants.
The northwest and southwest treatment plants were chosen because their size can accommodate the new receiving stations, said Tamara Richardson, director of Polk County Utilities. The stations were also chosen to minimize drive time for haulers.
Richardson told commissioners that sewage haulers have indicated they will use the county's wastewater treatment sites for dumping as soon as they're allowed. The county is planning to accommodate about six trucks an hour.
"There's definitely a lot of interest because of the state regulations that are changing that will not allow some of these places where they spread now," Richardson said.
Over the next year and a half, the county will evaluate how adding septage receival will impact the wastewater plants, which currently treat "typical domestic wastewater," and the plants' capacity.
"Our existing big plants have existing chemistry and biology and conditions that we can't jeopardize," County Manager Bill Beasley said. "This material is extremely toxic. It's complicated, it's hot. And we don't do anything, we're not going to allow anything to upset the biology and the chemistry of those plants."
Richardson said staff will shave time off the expected 18-month timeline wherever possible.
"We have our marching orders. We know that this is a priority," Richardson said.
Commissioner Neil Combee said he tried to make a project like this happen "years ago."
"This is 20 years overdue," Combee said. "We really owe it to the public to handle this or have something to, you know, handle it. Because right now, people are going to BS Ranch, which is in peril, I guess, their permit. They say they're driving to Tampa, to the port, to that facility over there. Or they're going out in the woods somewhere and spreading it."
Combee added that the project is good, the county just needs to "make sure that we don't let up on it."
The sewage problem is only going to get worse as more people flood into Polk County, commissioners noted.
Last month, commissioners indicated it may take legal action against BS Ranch and Farm in South Lakeland after the Florida Department of Environmental Protection decided not to renew the facility's operation permit. Local residents have complained for years that foul odors are emanating from BS Ranch. The business owners deny the claims.
Richardson said that if haulers can find land that meets current requirements for dumping, they can still use those areas, but there's "so few anymore."
And once these receiving stations are operational, haulers may lose alternate options completely.
"Once we get these up and running, we could come back and ban it from landing on the ground," Commissioner Bill Braswell said.
Maya Lora can be reached with tips or questions at mlora@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @mayaklora.