JEA CEO: Septic tank phase-out plan underfunded | Jax Daily Record | Jacksonville Daily Record

JEA cannot finalize a 2016 plan to exit aging septic tanks in three neighborhoods of northwest Jacksonville due to a lack of about $ 31.8 million in funding.

Jay Stowe, CEO of JEA, told the JEA board meeting on Jan. 28 that the project to bring municipal sewage service to the Biltmore, Beverly Hills and Christobel neighborhoods is over budget.

“Unfortunately, the money provided by the city and JEA is not enough to finance all of these areas. I asked JEA staff to work with city officials to rethink the septic tank phasing out plan and establish a viable plan for further development, ”said Stowe. “We cannot do this project step by step.”

JEA has special septic tank exit funding of $ 54,161,094, media relations coordinator Simone Garvey-Ewan said in an email.

Utilities said the design and construction of the Christobel neighborhood hadn’t started yet and would cost $ 25.8 million. The Beverly Hills East project is in the drafting phase, but it is estimated that JEA is $ 6 million short.

Garvey-Ewan said the Biltmore C and Beverly Hills projects were under construction and Beverly Hills West would begin in March. Both are fully funded.

The city council agreed with JEA’s $ 15 million pledge to fund the septic tank exit in August 2016, which at the time comprised 1,150 lots. There are now 1,589 lots in the discharge area of ​​the JEA septic tank.

A higher priority was given to the districts where the rehabilitation of the water quality in the 25 tributaries of the city or the areas where the health department of the district Duval has the greatest need would benefit.

JEA has provided an additional $ 1.65 million annually since the bill was approved. JEA and the city amended the Interagent Agreement in February 2019, increasing JEA’s total contribution by $ 15.155 million.

The utility also paid approximately $ 1 million in fees and other costs for the project.

Stowe said Jan. 28 there was no clear answer as to why JEA’s cost estimate was low, but he asked utility officials to coordinate with the city’s Department of Public Works and come back with a plan to complete the project.

“In an existing area with already developed land, it is very difficult to use these estimates to find out what was in the area and what is going on,” he said.

Stowe, who has been CEO for about two months, said there was no timeline for a revised plan.

The city estimated in 2016 that 65,000 septic tanks needed to be replaced in Jacksonville, many of which were built before the 1968 consolidation.

“I don’t come with a preconceived answer and I don’t come – I’ve been here two months – thinking I have a solution to a 60 year old problem,” said Stowe. “I am very happy to be here and to solve a lot of problems. This is the one who is right in front of us. “