Biomass Plant Moving Ahead; PSJRA Poised for Expansion

A biomass plant slated for Port St. Joe is talking water usage with the city while permitting moves ahead.

City manager Charlie Weston, during the Port St. Joe City Commission’s regular meeting last Tuesday, said that he had a “good meeting” with officials from the Northwest Florida Renewable Energy Center (NWFREC) concerning water needs for the proposed biomass plant.

Meanwhile, on the permitting side, an application for a stormwater management permit has been submitted and the company building the center, Georgia-based BG&E, is in the “question and answer” portion of the process of obtaining an air emissions permit.

Both permits would be issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection but are separate permits traveling separate tracks.

Officials with the NWFREC hope to have permits and financing in hand to begin construction in the first quarter of next year.

“That is moving along, they are happy with the progress they are making,” Weston said.

BG&E CEO was on vacation for the holiday and not available for comment.

“They feel positive about the way things are progressing,” Weston added.

The plant would use 800,000 gallons of water per day and the city provided three options: potable water coming from the water plant, lagoon water and water directly from the freshwater canal. The needed water specifications have been submitted to the city which is matching those with what it produces and alternative sources.

The city, in conjunction with the county Economic Development Council and the property appraiser are also examining potential tax incentives for the plant.

The NWFREC would apply for such incentives and file the application with the property appraiser. The percentage of any tax breaks the city, or county, would offer would be based on a points system predicated on capital investment, jobs created and the wages linked to those jobs.

Water, Water

Water, or more specifically its look, continued to be a sensitive topic, with one resident coming to the meeting with a jar of what could be best described as cloudy water that she said came from her tap.

“This is what I’m getting,” said Betty Mims, adding that there was only so much sugar and lemon that could be used to make her tea drinkable. “I can’t drink the water coming out of the faucet. And I’m spending a fortune on bottled water.”

She wondered if she could get on the “list," alluding to the last regular meeting at which another resident was told that the city would consider a break on her water usage for a given period due to ongoing issues at the water plant.

Glenn Davis, supervisor at the plant, said representatives from Siemens, the company that manufactured and sold the microfiltration unit the city purchased for the plant and the transition from deep well water and surface water, were on site and cleaning the membranes.

Davis said his work crews were still flushing the system, but hoped that most of it was behind them.

A corrosion inhibitor associated with that flushing, a requirement of any municipal water system, is considered the cause of water discoloration experienced by some, but not all, residents in recent weeks. That inhibitor, Davis has said, would likely cause some rust from old pipes to get into the system, temporarily.

“We are making progress,” Davis said. “We have a lot less complaints. It does seem to be achieving what it was designed to do.”

The city and the contractor are working through a final punch list and this week began the 60-day period for the testing required before the city would accept the plant as completed, Davis said.

Davis added that they continue to work with the supplier of chemicals for the plant regarding the proper balances in usage and costs, information requested by commissioners.

“This is a new system and this is an intricate system,” Davis said. “This is a work in progress.”

Commissioner John Reeves noted, “The water is safe to drink because we are drinking it tonight” as he raised a pitcher of water.

Ms. Mims expressed her doubts.

Barrier Dunes

Weston told commissioners that the homeownership association at Barrier Dunes on the peninsula had approached the city regarding taking over operations of the Barrier Dunes wastewater facility and hooking up the Cape sewer system.

“This is a great opportunity for the city to pick 300 revenue producers who would tap into the city sewer system,” Weston said, adding that city staff was looking at costs and viability.

If Barrier Dunes was brought on line, the city would have nearly every developed lot on St. Joseph Peninsula on the Cape sewer system. A primary goal of doing the project from the get-go was to eliminate septic tanks from the peninsula.

Concerning other infrastructure projects, given the flooding associated with Tropical Storm Ida two weeks ago along Monument Avenue and some intersecting streets, there will be another walk through and likely another punch list associated with the Catch Basin 7 project, said Public Works director John Grantland.

Grantland said he expects the project to run water to Overstreet should be completed early next month and the project to White City is all but final.