Will taxpayers be on the hook for new wastewater facility?

The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority says as they continue to gather grants for a new wastewater treatment facility, they won't go back to the taxpayers for more cash.

WPTV went straight to the source to get you the answers.

Phase one is underway for the new Fort Pierce wastewater treatment plant, which taxpayers funded through their water bill, says FPUA Director of Public Affairs and Sustainability Rachel Tennant.

"We went for a $100 million bond, which is funded through customers, through rates. That's our community paying the first $100 million," she said.

Tennant says they don't want to keep going to taxpayers for funds.

Fort Pierce

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"We're receiving just over $28 million from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to support phase two of moving our sewage treatment plant," she said.

Besides location, what will make the new plant so much better than the current one?

"We're excited because we're building a new plant based on new technology," said operations supervisor Michael Martin. "We're using state-of-the-art what's called granular sludge technology, which is going to create a much higher final quality product."

WPTV

The hope is that the plant is done by 2027.

Tennant says the overall cost is projected at $156 million, which could go up.

Right now, taxpayers could end up being on the hook for more, but the goal is to get more grants to cover the cost.