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JEA Pays Fine, Plans Water Quality Improvements with FDEP Order
Jacksonville, FL (July 20, 2004) - JEA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) have entered into an administrative consent order resolving compliance issues associated with JEA's Southwest District Wastewater Treatment Facility.
Under the consent order negotiated between JEA and FDEP, the utility will pay a civil penalty settlement of $200,000 to FDEP and JEA will accelerate completion of the $4.4 million half-mile long discharge (outflow) pipeline project no later than October 23, 2004. JEA began the replacement project in May and expects to have it completed in August.
Although technically quite difficult, horizontal directional drilling (HDD) was the technique chosen to replace the damaged pipe segment because of the reduced construction time and minimized environmental impacts that this technique affords. HDD entails drilling a pilot hole underneath the Ortega River, and pulling the new 2,300-foot-long section of 48-inch diameter steel pipe back through the hole.
"JEA has pulled out all the stops to complete permitting, easement acquisition and construction to get this pipeline replaced as fast as possible." said David Stephens, manager of major projects with JEA.
The JEA facility is legally permitted to send treated wastewater by pipeline underneath the Ortega River to an approved discharge location in the St. Johns River. In January, JEA reported that the pipeline was leaking into a manmade canal that connects to the Ortega River - an area where previous leaks had occurred and been patched. The discharge to the Ortega River (instead of the St. Johns River) resulted in the enforcement action by FDEP.
The consent order also requires JEA to contribute $350,000 toward specific projects to monitor and further protect the St. Johns River watershed, including:
- a program to enhance and accelerate the assessment of tributaries that contribute pollution to the river and the identification of potential remedial measures;
- the provision of funds to encourage boats and marinas to pump out sanitary wastes from boats for transport to land-based treatment facilities, and;
- testing an improved computer model that could lead to a more cost-effective and environmentally beneficial control of discharges to the river.
"All of us at JEA are committed to being good environmental stewards," said Environmental Services Director Paul Steinbrecher. "While it's unfortunate that the pipeline developed a new leak while replacement plans were under way, we are looking forward to implementing these projects that will further protect our water quality and benefit residents throughout the area."
JEA is the eighth largest community-owned electric utility in America, providing electric, water and sewer services to more than 750,000 accounts in Northeast Florida.
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