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Bill would help rid rivers of septic tanks
Congress okays the funds to add environmentally sound wastewater service to homes on the Homosassa and Chassahowitzka rivers.
By CATHERINE E. SHOICHET
Published July 30, 2005
Lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate passed a bill Friday that would provide $750,000 for a project to eliminate septic tanks in areas along the Homosassa River.
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Crystal River, requested the money in a bill funding the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies.
"It's fantastic that she was able to secure those dollars," said county Commissioner Gary Bartell. "It's just a piece of the financial puzzle of putting the wastewater program together."
In a statement, Brown-Waite said the money is "great news for Citrus County residents."
"This $750,000 . . . will help improve the water quality of the Homosassa River and remove the wastewater threat from adjoining communities," she said.
The project, which Bartell said county officials have been working on for eight years, aims to provide environmentally friendly wastewater service to homes along the Homosassa and Chassahowitzka rivers.
The project has received $3-million in federal funds and several state grants.
The county has planned to spend approximately $9.15-million in projects to provide wastewater services and potable water services to the west side of the county, said assistant director of public works Tom Dick.
Bartell said workers have completed the third phase of the project. The fourth phase, which involves about 400 homes near the Chassahowitzka River, is scheduled to begin soon, he said.
The $750,000 approved Friday, Brown-Waite said, will provide wastewater service to approximately 80 existing homes in the Blue Water Forest subdivision and along Spring Cove Road. The homes, currently served by onsite septic systems, are in waterfront areas near the headwaters of the Homosassa.
A spokesman for Brown-Waite said Friday that President Bush would likely sign the bill into law at some point in the next few days.
Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 352 860-7309.
[Last modified July 30, 2005, 01:09:17]
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