Chipley finishes new wastewater system

Officials in Chipley Thursday marked the completion of a $24 million wastewater treatment system. The seven-year project is designed to improve water quality, accommodate growth and keep utility costs affordable for residents.
“A project of this magnitude can only happen with a great deal of cooperation between state and local government — and a lot of determination on the part of the of the council and staff,” Mayor Linda Cain said in a news release. “We certainly appreciate the support from the departments of Environmental Protection and Community Affairs, and the Northwest Florida Water Management District.”
When the project was conceived in 2002, Chipley relied on a wastewater treatment facility and a network of pipes, parts of which dated back to the 1930s. In addition, Chipley had to deal with an effort by the DEP to designate nearby Holmes Creek an “Outstanding Florida Waterway,” a distinction that would impose much higher standards on effluent discharged from the treatment facility.
The city needed to completely overhaul its sewer system, but its small population could not absorb the rate increases that would be necessary to finance it, the news release noted. In order to find a solution, the city turned to Pensacola-based engineering firm Baskerville-Donovan.
Of the $24 million cost, approximately 85 percent came from grant money and the remainder from low-interest loans. In the past 15 years alone, Baskerville-Donovan has helped secure nearly $1 billion in project funding for its clients.
Chipley City Councilman Tommy “T.J.” McDonald said getting the improvements done has been a long-standing effort for him and his family.
“My late father, Tommy McDonald, was Chipley’s mayor and spent his entire political career working to bring this upgrade to our city’s infrastructure system. After his passing, my mother continued his work,” McDonald said. “It stands today as a testament to their vision and determination, and I’m proud that my fellow council members and I have seen it to a successful completion.”