Florida will spend $75 million on spring restoration projects for the 2021 - 2022 fiscal year. Officials are now reviewing project proposals from across the state. One of them is based in Leon County. It will upgrade a wastewater treatment facility so that it can take on more sewage. Sandra Lee is managing the project for the city. She says if the project can get funded through state dollars, it will reduce the burden on ratepayers.
"So, all the people who live in Tallahassee paying their utility bills, if we can do anything to reduce the cost of a project, it really helps reduce the cost of those people living in Tallahassee," Lee says.
Lee says once the wastewater treatment facility is upgraded, it will allow more people to switch from septic to sewer and reduce the amount of nitrogen going into Wakulla Springs.
"When it has too much nitrogen, everything gets out of balance, and it negatively affects Wakulla Springs. So, we're trying to throughout the whole Wakulla Spring Basin, we're trying to reduce the amount of nitrogen that is being sent to the groundwater in Wakulla Spring Basin," Lee says.
Leon County officials are asking for $1,316,000 in state funds for the project.
