by Kathy Foster
Property owners from around the location of Chipley’s new sprayfield on Pike Pond Road, and members of the Chipley City Council, gathered at the City Hall Tuesday evening concerning the new sprayfield proposed to handle the effluent from the City’s upgraded sewer treatment facility.
Billy Perry, representing Mott, MacDonald, conducted the public meeting that is part of the required process to allow concerned citizens to raise questions about the project.
Perry said more than 76 sites had been looked at before the Pike Pond Road site was selected. He said the 510 acres on Pike Pond met all the City’s needs and will allow for future expansion if needed.
According to Perry, there will be a 50 foot mandated buffer around the sprayfield and a 14 inch forced main will pump effluent from the sewer plant to the sprayfield
Several of those with property adjacent to, or close by, the proposed sprayfield, were in the audience Tuesday night and raised questions about what would be done to protect their land from contamination.
They were told there would be monthly discharge monitoring of the site to prevent any problems.
The next step in the process will be hearing July 8th before the Washington County Planning Commission and then the Washington County Board of County Commissioners will have it on their upcoming agenda.
Perry said construction on the sprayfield is expected to begin the first of the year and assured those at the meeting that the City and Mott, MacDonald are working closely with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on the project.