After a crisis earlier this summer, officials say Apalachicola’s water quality has improved and longer-term repairs are underway. But the Republican lawmakers who represent Franklin County are proposing a bill that would put a state-controlled entity in charge of the city’s water and sewer systems.
Senator Corey Simon and Representative Jason Shoaf want to expand the boundaries of the Eastpoint Water and Sewer District to include both Apalachicola and St. George Island.
Simon says as residents have dealt with smelly, unusable water, the state has stepped in providing support and resources for community members.
“And that’s taxpayer dollars – not just the taxpayers here in Franklin County but the taxpayers all over this state," he said. "And those are dollars that we can’t continue to just funnel out and sit back and say, ‘Well, it’s the cost of doing business. We have to move forward and do what we’ve always done.’ No, we can’t do that.”
Shoaf says having St. George Island in the water and sewer district would reduce the risk of sewage polluting the Apalachicola Bay.
“This would take the water and sewer system and place it in ownership and control of the water and sewer district," he said. "This would take, in my opinion, a lot of the politics out of it, a lot of the local decisions that have, in my opinion, led to where we are now, and it would put it into an appointed state board’s hands.”
Apalachicola Mayor Brenda Ash says the city’s water is now clear and odor-free. And she says a special piece of equipment to help put a longer-term fix in place is expected to arrive next month.
