After more than two decades of planning, Collier County is moving forward with its Northeast wastewater and water treatment facilities, ensuring it can serve a burgeoning population and expected demand from five new villages and towns.
The Board of County Commissioners on June 24 unanimously approved increasing the design contract with California-based environmental engineering firm Carollo Engineers Inc. by $11.68 million to $32.33 million for the 4 millon to 6 million gallon-per-day Northeast County Water Reclamation Facility, a 10 million GPD Northeast Water Treatment Facility, and supporting infrastructure for both.
A construction contract is expected to be awarded in 2028, and the full project is expected to cost $438 million.
“Today we’re at that critical juncture that we all envisioned 20 years ago and that we have current population projections that tell us that now is the time to advance this program to final design, to meet the service demands that we need in place by 2031,” Public Utilities Department Head Jim DeLony told commissioners before the vote. “The timeline is driven by agreements already in place with five major developments in the northeast Collier area.”
The plants will meet future demands by planned villages and towns, SkySail, Rivergrass Village, Town of Big Cypress and its villages, Bellmar and Brightshore, which all have county utilities contracts. The facilities will be built east of the county fairgrounds, north of Palmetto Ridge High School and The Ranch at Orange Blossom development.
Carollo was awarded the engineering design and consultant contract in December 2004, but the county placed the project in hibernation in 2010 due to the recession and commissioners extended the contract in 2015 to ensure continuity. The county reactivated the project in 2017, with the design of interim facilities. But DeLony said the same high-level team leaders remain, which ensures continuity, including the nationally recognized firm’s CEO.
Since initial construction plans were completed, new technology became available, along with updated regulatory requirements and building code changes, Project Supervisor Benjamin Bullert wrote in a memo to commissioners. The updated design takes advantage of the current best-available technology, while satisfying updated regulatory and code requirements. The technology is more modular and flexible in terms of size, the memo said, better enabling phased increments of construction for water and wastewater treatment facilities.
“What’s unique about this design approach is that we’re going to utilize modular technology, which will allow us the flexibility to expand as needed in the future as we see demand increase,” DeLony told commissioners. “The design will take full advantage of the most current water and wastewater treatment technology and positions the district to meet evolving regulatory requirements.”
The water treatment plant will utilize nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, allowing the county to utilize fully usable brackish and fresh water, and will utilize advanced water treatment for wastewater to ensure Collier meets current and emerging requirements for the treatment and disposal of treated wastewater.
Collier has spent about $10 million on engineering design and the full project’s $438 million price tag may grow due to economic and market factors increasing costs, the memo said, noting this is the 10th contract amendment. In March 2024, commissioners approved spending $29 million for water-treatment-related infrastructure projects at the Northeast facility, including two deep-injection wells and a dual-zone monitoring well, that will take three years to complete.
A December 2024 report by Engineers and Architects of America shows design costs can account for 5% to 15% of a project’s total budget. The range varies based on a project’s complexity, the memo said, noting both facilities are complex in terms of size, intricacy and interdependence of project components. Sarasota County is undergoing a 6 MGD expansion of its Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility that included a 10.3% engineering fee of $23.2 million, the memo said, while the construction contract totaled $225.1 million.
Collier’s funding source is water and wastewater impact fees paid by developers.
Commissioner Chris Hall said he had “sticker shock” when he saw the price but was assured by DeLony that the county wasn’t being taken advantage of and U.S. statistics show the price is fair, “a best value.” Carollo is a national leader with 90 years of experience and staff said it was “critical” to continue with Carollo to ensure continuity and preserve Collier’s “significant investment.”
Commissioner Bill McDaniel Jr., who made the motion to increase the contract, noted the reactivation of the project came once he took office. He called it a dire need, adding he advocates life-sustaining critical infrastructure and ensuring the county has what’s required for its current and future population.
“But there was a shift back in the day where if we don’t build it, they won’t come,” said McDaniel, who made the motion to increase the contract. “That hasn’t worked out so well for us, so it’s past time for us to be moving forward with the critical life-sustaining infrastructure that we have.”
