State earmarks $13 million for Marion springs restoration
Editor's note: This article has been revised to correctly explain the funding plan for the expansion and upgrade of a wastewater treatment facility in northwest Marion County.
Marion County is in line to get more than $13.2 million in recently announced springs restoration money from the state.
A total of $50 million in state funding for more than 20 projects was announced on Friday by Gov. Ron DeSantis' office. Last year the state pledged $100 million for projects to help restore and maintain water quality.
The largest portion of the local funds will go toward the expansion and upgrade of a wastewater treatment facility in northwest Marion County. More than $6.8 million will go to expand the facility's capacity from 0.2 million gallons per day to 0.8 million gallons per day.
The facility will also upgrade to an advanced wastewater treatment system. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's original proposal was to expand the plant to a capacity of up to 1.5 million gallons per day. The capacity increase is tied to the county's efforts to move away from septic tank systems in the future.
The wastewater plant lies within the Rainbow River springshed, and the overall goal is to reduce the nitrogen load entering the waterway through Rainbow Springs near Dunnellon.
The total cost of the project is almost $15.6 million. Marion County will use the FDEP grant to fund a portion of the project and will continue to seek grants to fund additional phases. Tentative projections call for a November 2021 completion date.
Another $857,000 will go toward the construction of lift stations and decommissioning of three standalone facilities known as wastewater package plants at the Dunnellon High School/Elementary School complex, Rainbow Springs State Park campground and Sateke Village. The smaller plants are all in the Rainbow River springshed. Package plants are not as efficient in removing nutrients from wastewater.
The lift stations will allow for connection to the City of Dunnellon wastewater system.
Two other package plants in the county are also marked for removal. Those plants are at the Oak Bend Mobile Home Park off Southwest 27th Avenue near Interstate 75, and at the nearby I-75 rest area in Marion County.
The projects got more than $2 million combined and will connect to the county's central wastewater system. Both lie near the border of the Rainbow River springshed and the Silver Springs sprigshed, the area's other first magnitude spring.
The Silver Springs area will also benefit from two other projects including more than $1.5 million to remove the package plant at Spanish Oaks at 3150 NE 36th Ave. The wastewater will connect to the city of Ocala. More than $1.7 million in matching funds will come from the St. Johns River Water Management District and locally.
A smaller project of less than $1 million total will decommission the Ocala East Villas' wastewater facility and hook up to county sewer. Ocala East Villas is located off Northeast Seventh Street, east of County Road 35.