Suwannee Water Sewer District CDBG DR Funding Public Notice

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED CDBG DISASTER RECOVERY MITIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS FOR THE SUWANNEE WATER AND SEWER DISTRICT

The Suwannee Water and Sewer District anticipates applying for Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support long-term restoration, facility hardening and mitigation efforts following the 2023-2024 storms.  This program is administered by the Florida Commerce Department through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program. A total of Nine hundred twenty-five million, three hundred ninety-four thousand Dollars ($925,394,000.00) has been allocated to the State of Florida for the 2023 and 2024 Storm Events. Four hundred million dollars ($400,000,000.00) of that amount has been allocated, by Florida Commerce, to fund infrastructure restoration, hardening and mitigation projects in communities impacted by the 2023 and 2024 storms. The minimum allowable amount a community can request is seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000.00). Applications are due to Florida Commerce on or before September 29, 2025.  Eligible types of projects are those that demonstrate increased community resiliency. Examples of some of the types of projects encouraged by Florida Commerce are as follows:

• Restoration of critical infrastructure (such as water and sewer facilities, streets, removal of debris, drainage, bridges, etc.)
• Re-nourishment of protective coastal dune systems and state beaches
• Building or fortifying buildings that are essential to the health, safety and welfare of a community (this can include shelters, police stations, fire stations, parks and recreational centers, community and senior centers, hospitals, clinics, schools and educational facilities and other public properties)
• Rehabilitation or construction of stormwater management systems
• Improvements to drainage facilities
• Reconstruction of lift stations and sewage treatment plants
• Road repair and improvement and bridge strengthening
• Upgrading of communications, energy, transportation and health and medical resources and systems
• Development of mitigation standards, regulations, policies and programs
• Dam safety programs, seawalls and levee systems;
• Acquisition of flood prone and environmentally sensitive lands;
• Retrofitting/hardening/elevating structures and critical facilities
• Relocation of structures, infrastructure and facilities out of vulnerable areas;
• Permanent relocation of residential housing and businesses located in high-risk areas through voluntary buyback programs and rebuilding in low-risk areas
• Public awareness/education campaigns
• Improvement of warning and evacuation systems

Activities that are typically eligible for funding under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program as well as specific additional activities as outlined in the State of Florida CDBG-DR Action Plan for the program are eligible projects if no other funding is available to meet the need.

The Suwannee Water and Sewer District anticipate submitting one application for a total of twenty-two million, six hundred eighty-two thousand, nine hundred fifty dollars and fifty cents ($22,682,950.50) in funding. The project synopsis and budget for the application being submitted are as follows:

Application #1 – Suwannee Water and Sewer District Sanitary Sewer Collection System and Wastewater Treatment Plant Repair and Hardening Project: The project involves hardening of the Suwannee Water and Sewer District’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and Sanitary Sewer Collection System. The Suwannee Water and Sewer District serve’s the southwestern portion of Dixie County. which is in Census Tract 9702.01 and includes Block Group #1. Based upon the Census information, the Area Served by the Suwannee Water and Sewer district is 37.30% LMI. Based upon the Census information, the Service area is not Low Moderate Income. However, the District is currently carrying out a door-to-door survey of the Service Area. If the door-to-door survey results indicate the Service Area is low-and-moderate income, the application will be submitted as benefiting a LMI Income population. However, based upon the significant flooding and other damage the Suwannee Water and Sewer District Service Area sustained resulting from the 2024 storm events, at this time, the District anticipates submitting the application as an Urgent Need project.

The proposed project includes the following activities:

1. The installation of new process tankage at the Wastewater Treatment Plant to provide flow equalization, redundancy, and surge management to mitigate the impacts of storm-driven infiltration/inflow that currently overwhelm the treatment processes.
2. Retrofit the biological treatment process to include biological nutrient removal (BNR) components, including enlarged clarifiers, to enhance treatment resiliency pre- and post-storm events, and support sustainable operations under variable flow conditions
3. The elevation and waterproofing of the generator and critical electrical system components at the Main Pump Station to prevent future flood-related failure and saltwater corrosion.
4. The installation of a SCADA system to support remote monitoring and sustained operation before, during and after storm events.
5. Planning-phase evaluation of a constructed wetland system for dual-purpose effluent disposal and added storage for storm events.

The proposed budget for the Suwannee Water and Sewer District Sanitary Sewer Plant Hardening Project is as follows:

Any resident wishing to know more about the proposed project or submit any public comment on the proposed projects should contact Raelynn Brownell, Manager, Suwannee Water and Sewer District at (352) 542-7570 or by email at rbrownell@suwanneewater.com.  Comments from the public concerning these projects will be received from September 18, 2025, and must be received by the SWSD no later than noon on Monday, September 29, 2025.  All comments will be considered, and proposed changes will be submitted to Florida Commerce.  Information relating to the proposed project and application is available for review between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Suwannee Water and Sewer District Office located at 825 SE 327^th Street, Suwannee, Florida 32692.

Any non-English speaking person wishing to comment on the proposed project should contact Ms. Brownell at (352) 542-7570 or by e-mail at rbrownell@suwanneewater.com and a language interpreter will be provided.   If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service, 1(800)955-8771 (TDD) or 1(800)955-8770 (Voice).

The Suwannee Water and Sewer District is a Fair Housing/Equal Opportunity/Handicap Accessible Agency.